Though New Zealand team’s permanently one-eyed defence of
their players can be tiresome – in his otherwise fine autobiography, Richie
McCaw claims that the spear tackle on Brian O’Driscoll in the first Lions test
in 2005 was purely accidental and that he was disappointed when BOD complained
- rugby is lucky to have a standard-bearer like New Zealand. The sport benefits
hugely from having a team that equates ‘footy’ with national honour, that is so
desperate to win every single match. As
a result, matches involving the All Blacks, together with the haka (which at
least gets people into their seats early) are always genuine occasions.
Last year some commentators felt
that Ireland’s victory against New Zealand in Chicago was of less value because
it was a match played outside of the world cup. But most teams would give their
eye teeth for a win against the All Blacks regardless of the status of the test
and that is because they are so resolutely hard to beat. The knock-on effect is
that it is always worth going to see New Zealand play as they never truly flop
– certain things may go awry which may lead to a rare loss but there is never a
complete systems failure. And so, ninety-nine times out of a hundred, we get
the best players playing the best rugby as though their lives depended on it.
I’ve been to a lot of the autumn
friendlies between Ireland and the Southern Hemisphere teams down the years and
at times Australia, and especially South Africa, have looked a little
uninterested, unprepared or even tired (these matches take place at the very
end of their season). But that is never the case with New Zealand. It is
unlikely that any other team would have scored that last minute try to deny
Ireland in 2013. They are the team that respects their opposition more than any
other.
This
need to win every match is coupled with an exceptional ruthlessness. If there
is an imbalance in quality between two teams the stronger side usually takes an
early lead and then eases off later in the match, maybe even leaking a couple
of tries. Or the weaker side drags the stronger one down to their level by
playing tight, defensive rugby. The above situations rarely happen when New
Zealand play. If the opposition is weak, they exploit that weakness with breath-taking
ruthlessness. Mistakes are crucified. And there is no let up, no relaxing of
standards. Regardless of the paucity of opposition, New Zealand will continue
to play at a high level and rack up scorelines that reflect the gulf in class.
The same cannot be said of any of the other teams in the top ten. Ireland have
been the victims of a number of absolute hidings from NZ teams that maintained
their focus while the men in green wilted.
The
importance of NZ to rugby was highlighted this summer when the Lions played
their ten-match tour on the islands. When the fixture list was announced there
were various predictions of doom for the tourists. How could they survive so
many games against the best Super Rugby teams in the world before facing the
number one international side? It was described by some as a suicidal
itinerary.
But the
tough games against fully committed opposition were exactly what the Lions
needed to gel the squad and bring out the best in the players and galvanise
their supporters. It also reflected well on New Zealand. The idea of having
games that were glorified training sessions (such as on the previous tours to
Australia and South Africa) was anathema to them. To let a foreign team win comfortably
on New Zealand soil was unthinkable. The result of this was a series of
engrossing non-test matches played in cauldron-like conditions in various
stadia.
Their
need to be the best team at all times has also worked to the advantage of the
world game as they have been the ones most willing to experiment and develop
new strategies that are then adopted by the other nations. In the past, they have introduced new types
of players (most notably in the second row, back row, and at centre) and all of
the frontline players have subtle handling skills. New Zealand provide a template for the rest
of the world.
Players from other countries talk about the
importance of treating the All Blacks like any other team, of ignoring the mystique
surrounding the black jersey, but it’s easy to see why such an aura has
developed around New Zealand rugby.
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