Gregan likens All Blacks to Golden State Warriors
George Gregan delivered one of most famous sledges in New Zealand rugby history, but these days the former Wallabies captain looks at the All Blacks with nothing but admiration.
In 2003, Gregan’s ‘‘four more years’’ taunt during the Rugby World Cup semifinal added salt to the All Blacks’ wounds.
Now, in 2018, he believes they are rugby’s version of champions the Golden Warriors.
‘‘There’s times when they’ve had to come from behind to win test matches, but they’ve got that belief and understanding of what’s required and they embrace those moments,’’ Gregan said.
‘‘That’s what successful teams do in all sports, when they get into those tight situations there is NBA State a real confidence within them that they can get right through it. At the moment in basketball there’s teams like the Golden State Warriors that find a way to win those those games and they have confidence in each other and their skills hold up under pressure.’’
The Golden State Warriors have won three of the past four NBA championships, building a dynasty around superstar guard Steph Curry and free-scoring forward Kevin Durant.
Gregan said finding any weaknesses in the All Blacks was a challenge because they, too, had developed into a side with an allcourt game.
‘‘They’re very well balanced,’’ Gregan said.
‘‘They are just a very cohesive team and they respond very well to pressure.’’