Life in the fast lane: All Blacks stars try F1 pit changes as they visit McLaren ahead of England clash at Twickenham
- New Zealand face England at Twickenham in a mouthwatering clash on Saturday
- Members of the All Blacks squad visited McLaren’s F1 base in Woking on Tuesday
- The players took part in a tyre change challenge at the team’s headquarters
- Scott Barrett, Dane Coles and Aaron Smith were among the Kiwis taking part
New Zealand took a break from preparations for Saturday’s Test match with England to try their hand at an F1 pit stop.
The All Blacks visit Twickenham at the weekend after beating Japan in Tokyo, but have been enjoying a relaxed build-up to the game.
They visited McLaren’s headquarters in Woking ahead of the clash, and had a go at a tyre change challenge on one of the F1 cars.
Members of New Zealand’s squad visited McLaren’s headquarters ahead of the England clash
Joe Moody, Scott Barrett and Angus Ta’avao all had a go at putting a tyre on a McLaren F1 car
F1 mechanics take less than three seconds to get a tyre on during scheduled pit-stops in races
The Kiwi stars may not have equalled the professionals’ times, but they did enjoy themselves
We're putting the @AllBlacks through their paces with a pitstop challenge! ?? pic.twitter.com/RgM60xGP8h
Joe Moody, Scott Barrett and Angus Ta’avao joined forces to put a tyre back onto the front-left of one of the show cars at the workshop.
They did not come close to matching the time it takes the professionals to change wheels- as little as three seconds – but the All Blacks looked happy to be away from the rugby pitch for a short time.
Aaron Smith, Nathan Harris, Ben Smith and Dane Coles formed another of the teams, although the first two struggled to take the old tyre off at first.
Ben Smith and Coles looked more at ease when they joined in and it was time to put the new tyre on. The video posted by McLaren on Twitter showed that they managed to chang the tyre in less than five seconds.
Aaron Smith and Nathan Harris formed another team and they struggled to get the old tyre off
Ben Smith and Dane Coles lended a helping hand when the new tyre was ready to go on
The Kiwis were keen to pose for photos as they made the most of life on tour in England
ENGLAND VS NEW ZEALAND
Date: Saturday November 10, 2018
Venue: Twickenham Stadium, London
Kick off: 3:00pm (UK time)
Referee: Jerome Garces (France)
TV coverage: Live on Sky Sports
But if the photos are anything to go by, Brodie Retallick and Liam Squire looked the most likely All Blacks to pursue a career in F1.
The due were quick to swap their old tyre with a new one as team-mates watched them work in tandem.
New Zealand are favourites to beat Eddie Jones’ England at Twickenham on Saturday, but that does not mean there aren’t questions over their side as the preparations for next September’s World Cup in Japan ramp up.
Brodie Retallick and Liam Squire were a well-oiled duo as their team-mates watched on
They wasted no time in getting rid of the used tyre and replacing it with a fresh one quickly
It provided the Kiwis with a very different experience to the one they’ll face at Twickenham
Sony Bill Williams’ spot at centre is under threat, however assistant coach Ian Foster assured the 33 year old that his place in the side was secure for now.
‘Sonny’s had the least rugby, he’s still finding his top form; I think that’s fair to say,’ said New Zealand assistant coach Foster.
‘I don’t think our patience (in Williams) will be driven by his background, more based on how we see players perform in training.
Sonny Bill Williams (pictured) is likely to retain his place in the All Blacks midfield on Saturday
‘I think when we look at the physical nature of the game, how they are training, sometimes things are going really good off the park and it hasn’t quite gelled to the extent they want on the park.
‘Sometimes players are deemed to have had a quiet game but – in reality – they may not have had too many opportunities to show what they are good at.’
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