All Blacks captain Ardie Savea issues heartfelt message to the nation after honest ‘look in the mirror’

Ardie Savea wants to make New Zealand “proud” after they opened their Rugby Championship campaign with a potentially costly defeat to Argentina.

New Zealand rarely lose at home but last weekend’s loss against Los Pumas – just their third ever against the South Americans – has put them on the back foot in the tournament.

With tough games versus the Springboks in South Africa to come, another reversal on Saturday could well end their title hopes just two rounds in.

Bouncing back

The All Blacks tend to bounce back well from these setbacks and they did so two years ago when they succumbed to Argentina in Christchurch.

After going down 25-18, Ian Foster’s men put 50 points on Los Pumas to get their campaign back on track.

New Zealand would then go on to win the Rugby Championship and Savea no doubt hopes that there is a similar story in 2024.

“We’ve owned our performance and talked about owning each day. We’ve had a look in the mirror, we’re trying to move forward and trying to do what we need to do to try and get a performance we want,” he told reporters.

“It hurts so hopefully we use that hurt for something good. Everyday is been a new day and we’re trying to get better.

“Razor (Scott Robertson) touched on it and looking at yourself in the mirror, and then as a team collectively, we look at ourselves and how we can be better.

“That’s been the case, but we’re really looking forward to coming out again and trying to get a performance, not only that we’re proud of but the nation’s proud of.”

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Savea insists that it is important not to overthink matters, especially when coming off the back of a defeat.

“We want to nail the foundations of our game but an All Blacks team does well when we’re clear, we know what we need to do and we’re physical, and we’re light in the mind. Hopefully that’s the case tomorrow,” he said.

Leadership

Savea was named captain in the absence of Scott Barrett and, although the number eight didn’t play poorly, there were a couple of surprising errors, one of which led to Argentina’s decisive try.

However, it is not just the responsibility of the skipper to exude calm and make sure the right decisions are made, with the other experienced players needing to step up.

“I’m always excited, every time I put on the black jersey. I’m very grateful and I’m blessed, so I can’t wait to come out here and I’m sure all the other boys are too,” Savea said.

“We’ve got leaders in our team that have to manage and come up with solutions, in terms of scenarios that come into the game that we’re not prepared for.

“We’ve got to play in the right areas on the field. How we do that, we’ve got to adapt and adjust, and see it better than what we did.”

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