All Blacks return to Christchurch 'a blessing', says Savea

All Blacks captain Ardie Savea said Friday it was a "blessing" to see how Christchurch has recovered 15 years after a deadly earthquake, as New Zealand prepare to play France at the new Te Kaha stadium.

The NZ$683 million (US$390 million) indoor stadium opened in April to replace the old Lancaster Park, which was demolished due to damage inflicted by the 6.3-magnitude earthquake which killed 185 people in 2011.

Te Kaha means "the strength", and has become a symbol of the city's enduring spirit.

"It's amazing," Savea said of the resilience of people in Christchurch.

"I've been around the city this week and just seeing it alive, it's such a blessing to see, especially with what happened years ago.

"It's my first time being able to play in this stadium so I'm really looking forward to it."

The Canterbury Crusaders welcomed sellout crowds into the 30,000-seat stadium in the latter half of the Super Rugby season. 

But it is the return of the All Blacks that coach Dave Rennie said "almost caps off the rejuvenation of the city".

"It's phenomenal for a start and a real credit to the city," Rennie said of the stadium.

"The boys are really excited about being here. Christchurch has got a rich history, Canterbury's made a massive contribution to the All Blacks.

"To play in front of a packed crowd on the weekend knowing that we're going to have pretty good conditions, yeah, really exciting."

Christchurch hosted only a handful of All Blacks Tests between 2011 and 2025 due to the small size of the city's temporary stadium at Rugby League Park.

Only 18,000 fans could fit into that ground, and facilities for players and officials were not up to standard.

Te Kaha is a fully covered stadium like Dunedin's Forsyth Barr Stadium, and sits barely a 10-minute walk from the centre of the city.

Across the road from the stadium is a memorial park where the CTV Building once stood.

The CTV Building collapsed during the 2011 quake, with 115 people killed. 

Rennie replaced fired coach Scott Robertson little more than a year out from the 2027 Rugby World Cup, after a poor two years in charge of New Zealand.

The 62-year-old has promised "optimism", saying the side will play fast and smart.

One of his first moves as coach was to appoint Savea the new permanent captain, replacing Scott Barrett.

Savea said he had approached his first match as permanent captain as he would any other, but he knows the role he now holds in New Zealand society and would look to "serve" rugby fans.

"I was grown up that way, around serving my parents and serving the people in the communities around me," Savea said. 

"That's the thing that I feel like I can do in this team, which is to serve my players and the people and the management."

France take a weakened side into the clash -- featuring 11 Bordeaux players but missing anyone from French champions Toulouse and fellow finalists Montpellier.

bes/sft/tc

© Agence France-Presse