As New Zealand prepare for a repeat of their 2007 quarter-final against France at the Millennium Stadium when they failed to make the last four for the first time, their centre Sonny Bill Williams revealed the debt he owes to the Les Bleus coach Philippe Saint-André.
Williams was a rugby league player when he switched codes in 2008 to join Toulon, who were then coached by Saint-André and within two years he was playing for the All Blacks on his way to making the World Cup squad.
“Philippe was an awesome coach who brought out the best in me,” Williams said. “He kick-started start my ambitions to go back to New Zealand and have a crack at the All Blacks’ jersey. When I first started, I wanted to play in the forwards but there were a few injuries and I ended up in the backs.
“Philippe said to make sure I was there for the set plays and then back my instinct. I started playing some pretty good footie and it shows how he knows each individual in his side and their strengths. I just hope it does not work for France this weekend.”
New Zealand have cruised through their group after coming from behind to defeat Argentina on the opening weekend and, mindful of what happened in 2007 when a romp in their pool left them underprepared for the France quarter-final, they have taken a different approach this year.
“We have been waiting a long time for this moment,” said the New Zealand assistant coach, Ian Foster.
“It has not been difficult to plan and we expect France to be as hungry and ready as we are. They were very physical against Ireland [on Sunday] and were hard to break down.
“There is a lot of respect between the sides. They have done well at World Cups and we are under no illusions about how tough it will be. I know we will be asked about 2007, but for us what matters is the here and now. For the last six months, we have been planning to be at the Millennium Stadium this weekend and we will be there.
“These are great weeks and we feel for each other as a group. We are chasing detail and clarity in our game and the challenge is to make sure we settle down as a group and trust our processes. Sometimes when you get into a situation like this it can be easy to allow the emotion to take over. We are working hard to control that.”
The New Zealand fly-half Dan Carter, who played in the 2007 quarter-final, said the players had not talked about what happened. “There are only three of us who played that day and we are not looking in the past. It is a new team that is excited about what lies ahead,” he said.
“The prospect of playing France at the Millennium Stadium is not daunting us. We have played a lot of ruby since 2007 and moved on. They are a dangerous side but as a player it is the sort of challenge you love. We will be up for it,” added Carter who is moving to Paris with Racing Métro after the tournament.
