21 Oct 2019

Rugby World Cup: All Blacks prepare for semi-final

From Checkpoint, 6:17 pm on 21 October 2019

The All Blacks dispatched Ireland at the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals at the weekend, and are already preparing for an even bigger semi-final against England on Saturday.

With only one day off to recover, the team have today hit the gym and gone through a raft of meetings as they plot for a place in a third straight World Cup title decider.

Lock Brodie Retallick and flanker Sam Cane have just spoken to media in Tokyo - and Cane says he's feeling fresh ahead of the clash, as he made his case for another starting jersey.

The talk about the rivalry between the All Blacks and England has also started, and Brodie Retallick says he loves taking on the English, who dominated the Wallabies in their quarter-final.

But he says he's taking his inspiration from the Japanese players, who bowed out in a spirited match between the host nation and South Africa last night in their first ever quarter-final.

RNZ reporter Clay Wilson joins Lisa Owen with the details.