Mark Telea dropped by New Zealand for Ireland Rugby World Cup quarter-final due to disciplinary breach

New Zealand head coach Ian Foster kept powerful Leicester winger Fainga’anuku in his defense for the All Blacks’ World Cup quarter-final against Ireland after Mark Telea breached team protocols this week; Fainga’anuku impressed in New Zealand’s final group match against Uruguay

Mark Telea scored three

New Zealand winger Mark Telea was ruled out of Saturday’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final against Ireland due to an unspecified breach of team protocol.

Telea, who scored three tries in the tournament, including two in the opening night defeat to France, was replaced on the left flank by Leicester Fainga’anuku.

All Blacks boss Ian Foster insisted the disciplinary issue – believed to be linked to breaking the curfew – was minor, but he felt obliged to punish the 26-year-old by excluding from the match in Paris.

“He broke protocol, nothing serious, but enough to keep him out of selection this week,” Foster said.

“I still love him, he trained well, it happens. Look, it’s like that. For us, it’s pretty clear, I don’t really want to talk about it anymore. We have it treated like a team and moved on.

“We believe in what we stand for and it says a lot about the team that we were making this kind of decision during this kind of week.”

New Zealand number 8 Ardie Savea added: “We feel for him, we love him but we’re looking forward to the game on Saturday, that’s all I can say.”

New Zealander Leceister Fainga’anuku has been named on the left wing

Three-time world champions New Zealand find themselves in the unusual position of being underdogs for a World Cup knockout match as they look to deny Ireland a first semi-final. Flyhalf Richie Mo’unga laughed off the significance of this.

“As a player, it’s not a big deal for us,” he said. “None of the boys are on the betting sites! You can’t hide how great this Ireland team is, what they’ve done over the last two years.

“They’re the best team in the world right now. We don’t need to be the best team in the world now, we need to be the best on that day, so that’s a real goal for us.”

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Andy Farrell and Johnny Sexton speak to the media ahead of the Rugby World Cup quarter-final between Ireland and New Zealand.

Head coach Foster expects both teams to be on a mission and believes history doesn’t matter, saying “we all carry burdens.”

“Look, Ireland came into the World Cup last time as number 1, didn’t they, so they’ve had different journeys,” Foster said.

“But the past is the past. I wouldn’t say it’s a newer Irish team, but it’s an Irish team on a mission. It’s an All Black team on a mission.

“I’ll let you talk about the past, what it means and the burdens people carry. But ultimately, we all carry burdens before we participate in these kinds of games. The main thing is to clear our heads .and just play. This is the state we want to be in.

New Zealand: 15 Beauden Barrett, 14 Will Jordan, 13 Rieko Ioane, 12 Jordie Barrett, 11 Leicester Fainga’anuku, 10 Richie Mo’unga, 9 Aaron Smith; 1 Ethan de Groot, 2 Codie Taylor, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 4 Brodie Retallick, 5 Scott Barrett, 6 Shannon Frizell, 7 Sam Cane (c), 8 Ardie Savea.

Substitutes: 16 Dane Coles, 17 Tamaiti Williams, 18 Fletcher Newell, 19 Samuel Whitelock, 20 Dalton Papalii, 21 Finlay Christie, 22 Damian McKenzie, 23 Anton Lienert-Brown.

Follow Ireland against New Zealand in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals on the Sky Sports website and app from 7.30pm on Saturday.