RWC columnist Tawera Kerr-Barlow: Former All Black on embracing World Cup pressure

AT international test level, so much is about temperament. The talent on show Friday night at the Stade de France for the opening Rugby World Cup game between the hosts and New Zealand will be off the charts but in the moments that matter, give me a guy with that finely-pitched temperament more than a massive athlete.

The pressure levels on France are enormous in this tournament. World Cups are full of the tiny margins that make a difference. So much of it will come back to how well they are prepared mentally.

France have made massive strides in recent years on the mental side of High Performance sport, manifesting itself in the way they have extricated themselves from sticky situations in several games. That’s what good teams do.

Where they always possess so much natural talent across the board, now there’s an ethos of moving in the same direction.

In years gone by, you could certainly accuse the French of not working as a collective. Fabien Galthie has done a great job changing the culture with this new generation.

They are eager to learn, they want to succeed as a team. And at test levels, the margins are that small.

There has always been a heavy emphasis with the All Blacks on what they call walking towards the pressure.

It’s a phrase I learned with the All Blacks when we did mental skills sessions. For me, it means acknowledging the pressure is there, and wanting to embrace it. It’s not straightforward. Many have buckled.

If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. The great players have the best temperament. Everyone freezes at some stage of their careers, but on the biggest stage at a time of extreme importance, you can’t have that. 

Champions don’t have that.

Pressure is a privilege, but it’s still there. So long as it’s addressed, it doesn’t have to be a burden. I was a very small part of a great All Blacks team, and the most gratifying moments were preparing well for an extremely difficult situation against top opposition.

You got to sit in the dressing room afterwards, looking your mates in the eye and thinking thank you, we have done the job.

If the French prepare well mentally for Friday, and for the World Cup tournament, they give themselves the best possible chance of lifting the trophy for the first time.

Against the All Blacks there will be pivotal moments. We’ve all had them. The opposition has put on massive pressure, they’ve three five-metre scrums, and a couple of lineout drives.

We’ve managed to repel them, the momentum switches and the confidence taken out of that moment is in stark contrast to the opposition who have just thrown the kitchen sink and failed.

These 50-50 games between two rugby juggernauts can be really tight until the last 15 minutes, but at test level, you can have 20 points put on you in the last quarter.

You cannot appreciate the fine margins unless you have played it, coached it or been involved at a deep level.

A team might lose by 20 having been right in the mix on 65 minutes. Both France and the All Blacks have that in their locker.

Over the past couple of decades, New Zealand were absolutely immense at taking control of games in those latter stages.

When I started in France in 2017, the All Blacks were still quite a way ahead of a lot of northern hemisphere countries.

But the gap has gone. Ireland are just as skilled and talented as New Zealand, very capable at set-piece and playing with a recognisable identity.

You see what they are trying to do. France have done likewise with their kicking and power game, and they have the athletes.

The loss of Romain Ntamack to France is significant but hardly decisive. There is a familiarity when your halves play at club level together.

You can’t replace that or the chemistry that comes with three or four years together at Toulouse. But the show does go on. You can’t dwell on it, France are looking to win their first World Cup.

They have moved on now and focused on what they can control. If they have done their mental prep well, the Ntamack disappointment is behind them.

Antoine Dupont, as an athlete, is as fast as a winger, and with that pace, is able to get himself into places where a half-back would not usually be.

There are nines who’ve been fast, but this fella is electric. If you put him out wide, you’d say he’s a fast winger. He is not especially tall but physically he is explosive, not shy in contact, and comfortable on the defensive side.

His vision is excellent and he has the longest kicking game of any nine around in the world at the moment.

France base a lot of their exit strategies around their kicking, hence Maxime Lucu’s involvement on Friday. If you give Dupont space, he has the talent and pace to tear any team apart.

But if the All Blacks control the set piece, an area France is strong at, it minimises the effect of France’s petit generale.

As a nine, if your forwards aren’t going forward and your set piece is struggling, you are in retreat. Suddenly life becomes extremely difficult in terms of putting the team in the right position, it’s harder to clear, harder to get your passing and running game going – even if you are Dupont.

Everything starts and finishes up front so ascendancy in the set piece and contact area and ruck is so important in terms of how you influence a game – slow it down or speed it up. The All Blacks will focus on those areas rather than the individual.

Leaders on both sides will be pivotal, and there’s no shortage. Not every leader is vocal. Greg Alldritt is a leader by action, not words.

He is very calm. When he says stuff, it’s accurate and easy to understand, and that’s hugely important. When you’re in pressure situations you don’t want your leader to complicate things.

When we were down 17 points in Dublin to Leinster in the Champions Cup final this year, it was something Greg had envisaged and had already addressed in the team meetings. No panic. We have this. If they can score 17 in 12 minutes, then so can we.

In all the pre-World Cup discussions, I wonder have some people been sleeping on New Zealand? Usually, they are coming to the World Cup as favourites. Being underdogs allows you a certain amount of freedom as well.

They have figured out how they want to play rugby in this tournament. Fronting up physically is one of the most important elements. They have figured out their best XV and are definitely trending in the right direction.

A couple of weeks have passed since that Twickenham wake-up against the Springboks. Don’t be surprised if they roll up to this RWC with a serious bone to pick.

Hey, the All Blacks are hardly rank outsiders, but when you have a bone to pick, when people aren’t believing in you, it’s extra motivation.

With elite athlete, the motivation is often internal. It helps when people are whispering in your ear, you might not be able to do it this time, guys. It adds that extra bit of fuel to the fire.

*The author has been capped 29 times by New Zealand and is a two-time European Champions Cup winner with La Rochelle