The All Blacks rookie who may have the task of stopping the great Antoine Dupont
All Blacks scrum-half Cam Roigard on his way to try against Springboks.
Despite being the youngest member in New Zealand’s squad, rookie scrum-half Cam Roigard is relishing the prospect of being involved in their Rugby World Cup opener against France.
The 22-year-old was the bolter in All Blacks head coach Ian Foster’s 33-man squad for the global showpiece but he has already made the most of the limited opportunities presented to him at international level.
After making his Test debut as a replacement in New Zealand’s 38-7 victory over Australia in front of 83,000 spectators at the world-famous Melbourne Cricket Ground, Roigard’s next appearance came off the bench again in a 35-7 defeat to South Africa at Twickenham.
Arrived in France
Earlier this week, the All Blacks squad arrived at their World Cup base in Lyon and received an enthusiastic welcome from the locals.
Roigard admits that the all the fanfare has helped him realise the magnitude of being involved in a World Cup.
“Seeing how passionate the French are around rugby, not just their own team but us, and how proud they are to have us in Lyon makes it feel real,” he told Newshub.
“If you don’t take time to step back and have a look from the outside it can actually go past without actually enjoying it.”
Despite his side’s loss to the Springboks, Roigard left his stamp on that match with a moment of brilliance on attack and was rewarded with his side’s only try in the World Cup warm-up clash.
His performance means Roigard may have usurped Finlay Christie in the All Blacks scrum-half pecking order and he could be included on the bench – behind first choice number nine Aaron Smith – when they face France in Friday’s clash at the Stade de France.
Taking on the hosts and possibly testing his skills against France captain Antoine Dupont is something which excites Roigard.
“It’s pretty awesome,” Roigard said of the possibility of going head-to-head against Dupont.
Always dreamt of playing on the world stage
“I suppose the dream has always been to play on the world stage, and to be fortunate enough to be in a position where that could potentially happen next week is pretty mindblowing to actually think about to be honest.
“But I’m really looking forward to the challenge and getting into our work for that French prep.”
READ MORE: WATCH: The All Blacks perform touching tribute Haka in France
