Appearing as the first guest on Murray Deaker’s new podcast Murray Deaker’s Sporting Lives, Mains believed the All Blacks were strong in the right positions and should Lady Luck be smiling upon them, they could walk away with the Webb Ellis Cup.
Mains told Deaker he believes the All Blacks have quality in key positions for success in the modern game, labelling Sam Whitelock, Ardie Savea, Aaron Smith and Will Jordan as critical.
In particular, he singles out Jordan as giving the All Blacks something he believes “no other team has”, going beyond his ability to be a dynamic line-breaker and highlighting mental attributes that set him apart.
“Not just his (Jordan’s) ability to beat people and run with the ball in hand, but his nous upstairs to know where to be and when to be there is just a gift that he has. To me he is a critical player.”
The All Blacks face hosts France in the World Cup opening match in Paris on Saturday morning (NZ time).
The role officiating is likely to have in the tournament has been hotly debated - most notably in Southern Hemisphere circles, as Northern referees tend to rule on a letter of the law basis.
Mains says after watching Northern Hemisphere refs, this could be a concern for the All Blacks.
“That won’t necessarily be advantageous to New Zealand. It’ll be much harder for them to get their continuity and flow into the game that they like to have.”
Mains was appointed All Blacks coach in 1992, and coached the side to the 1995 Rugby World Cup final, where they lost to South Africa.
• Murray Deaker’s Sporting Lives podcast - new episodes each week on iHeartRadio or wherever you get your podcasts.
