Jonty Dine
Sports Reporter
Asafo Aumua not only had to battle
a string of injuries to get back into the All Blacks but
also the scales.
Thrust into the test against the
Irish early after Codie Taylor succumbed to injury, Aumua
delivered a quality 60 minutes at Eden Park, scoring one of
six
All Black tries.
It had been a long journey back
to the jersey for Aumua, which fits a lot better now than it
would have in January.
“I know I was eating quite a
bit. I was a bit heavy heading into pre-season. But, happy
to be back in decent, or good enough, nick to play the
game.”
The dynamic hooker said he ballooned in weight
in the off-season before trimming back down for Super
Rugby.
“I lied to our nutritionist. I said I was
124kg, but I was actually 126kg. Now I’m 116kg. I was
probably just eating too much.
“I was actually eating
good food, but just a lot. Probably double the portions I
should have been. But, I’m back to eating properly
now.”
Aumua has been at his bulldozing best for the
All Blacks in 2026, his damaging runs helping keep Ireland
on the back foot following Taylor’s departure.
His
impact illustrated the ruthless nature the side is trying to
play with.
Despite being up 40-21 with the siren
having sounded, Aumua said captain Ardie Savea’s message was
to keep going.
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“His message was ‘We’re not going to
wind down the clock. We’re going to play.’ It’s been a
constant throughout the series as well. Just trying to keep
the ball moving, keep it alive. Try not to give the
opposition a rest.”
That game plan has been an
enjoyable one to execute, fellow front rower Ethan De Groot
said.
“He’s [Dave Rennie] allowing us to back skill
and having a crack so yeah, I’m enjoying that side of the
game.”
De Groot joked that he had been looking to
improve his on-field flair under the new regime.
“It’s
funny because Barnsy [assistant coach Neil Barnes] actually
gave me s*** for having no skills so I’ve been working hard
on trying to prove him wrong with a bit of
razzle.”
The powerhouse prop said the Irish brought
plenty of intensity on Saturday night, despite the one-sided
scoreline.
“It was very physical. Some big ball
carriers there so it’s cool to get some shoulders
on.”
De Groot said while it was a pleasing
performance, there was still plenty of work to be
done.
“It was definitely a step in the right
direction. I still feel like there’s some room for
improvement. I still feel like we left a few out there, to
be honest. It wasn’t always pretty, but we got
there.”
Having conceded early points against both
France and Italy, it was the All Blacks that established
dominance in the opening minutes at Eden Park.
“We had
a big emphasis on our start – the last two weeks, teams have
scored on us, so pretty happy we didn’t let them in
early.”
Asked whether they would have to raise the
standard ahead of the tour to South Africa, De Groot
replied, “What do you
think?”
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