The All Blacks have played by their own rules for too long
Rest of the world must stop indulging whims of an All Blacks team who have played by their own rules for too long
AH, THE All Blacks, you’ve got to love them…or do you? Well, there is no denying the New Zealanders are the biggest draw in the game with tickets for Saturday’s encounter in Dublin breaking the €100 barrier, a fact that has barely raised a whisper of protest.
You can understand why. New Zealand have always been a glorious team to watch in full flow, possessed of skills and speed of thought generally out of the reach of any of their rivals dating back to Dave Gallaher’s ‘Invincibles’ side of 1905.
And yet, it’s that sort of talk – however accurate – that perpetuates the aura of invincibility that envelops the All Blacks, fuelling their selfbelief and inhibiting opponents.
The name is part of it. Clive Woodward with the Lions and Michael Cheika with the Wallabies banned the term ‘All Blacks’ and, though it did not lead to victory in either case, the sentiment was correct as New Zealand’s self-appointed moniker undoubtedly adds to the mystique.
‘I don’t like the name All Blacks,’ said Ireland prop Cian Healy a few years ago. ‘I don’t like putting any team on a pedestal. When you do that, you find yourself below them already.’
It must be especially galling for players to see their own supporters go weak at the knees when the Kiwis come to town. With Ireland now posing a genuine challenge, perhaps it is time for a wider willingness to tone down the adulation and develop a degree of bitterness about the All Blacks machine. And, without wishing to be bad hosts, we should at least hightlight a few genuine reasons to call New Zealand to task...
THE HAKA: The old chestnut and most regular stick to beat New Zealand with. There is no denying coordinated slapping, chanting and tongue-wagging is compelling viewing – but it also represents a profoundly unfair advantage.
In his autobiography ‘Dark Arts’, former Ireland prop Mike Ross wrote about his mixed feelings when facing the haka in 2012.
‘I had always been mesmerised by the haka and as I watched them, I felt like a kid again. But as amazing as it is to view, it is unfair to let them do what is essentially a war dance to rev themselves up and leave the other team standing there like a bunch of dumb tourists,’ wrote Ross.
It is telling that Ireland’s only victory against the All Blacks arrived on a day they had their own psychological motivation through their memorable and emotional ‘figure of 8’ formation to honour the passing of Anthony Foley.
But the most irritating aspect is how precious the All Blacks are about it. In 2006, hosts Wales wanted a rendition of ‘Men of Harlech’ after the haka to wrest back the psychological momentum and the All Blacks threw a strop, performing the dance in their dressing-room as a protest. Naturally, the TV cameras were allowed in to capture it, and the sponsors’ logos.
THE FANS: Anyone who has been lucky enough to visit New Zealand would readily acknowledge that Kiwis are a warm and welcoming people – except when it comes to rugby. Obsession with the sport permeates every fissure of New Zealand society. A couple of years ago, a study was done showing how All Blacks failures consistently preceded a change of government whereas success was generally followed by the ruling party being reinstated. Coincidence? That study did not think so. With that backdrop, the reaction to defeat tends to be extreme – such as in 2007, when referee Wayne Barnes received death threats after the All Blacks were stunned in the World Cup quarterfinal by France. Success is expected and demanded, failure is not tolerated, regardless of circumstance, and it makes New Zealand fans extremely bad losers. The worst in rugby. PLUNDER BOYS: Trawling the Pacific Islands for talent has been an integral part of All Black success for many years. Although many islanders grow up in New Zealand, there has also been a deliberate policy of targeting youngsters on the islands to bring into the New Zealand system – the lure, financial and otherwise, of playing for the All Blacks impossible to resist.
Most major rugby nations, not least Ireland, have pursued comparable recruitment tactics but New Zealand’s reluctance to organise Tests against island neighbours to compensate for this talent drain is hard to justify.
Despite their proximity, the All Blacks have only played five Tests against Fiji (none in Fiji), five against Tonga (none in Tonga) and seven against Samoa (one in Apia in 2015).
THE 2011 WORLD CUP: Having won the inaugural tournament (on home soil) in 1987, a succession of highprofile disappointments created a desperation that led to an unseemly 2005 bidding process for the 2011 tournament.
Japan were the overwhelming favourites, ticking all the boxes in terms of infrastructure and the IRB’s stated policy of expanding the sport beyond traditional power bases. In the end, that mattered little as Japan were beaten at the 11th hour with Ireland accused of cutting a deal to gain more Tests against the Kiwis. ‘The established nations just pass the ball around among their friends,’ thundered irate Japan RFU chief Yoshiro Mori afterwards.
True or not, Ireland played New Zealand 10 times in the next six years, as well as the All Blacks facing Munster in a specially arranged match in Thomond Park in 2008. Meanwhile, the Kiwis used home advantage to end 24 years of hurt in 2011. With the World Cup monkey off their backs, the All Blacks have enjoyed a period of dominance that is propelling them towards three-in-a-row next year, when Japan finally get their chance to host.
ONE RULE FOR THE ABS: In that era-changing 2011 final, France dominated possession (60 per cent) and territory (64 per cent) in the second half only for the hosts to scrape home 8-7. Despite being on the back foot, the All Blacks only conceded seven penalties the whole game and the objective consensus was that a host of their infringements went unpunished.
It continued a narrative of New Zealand getting breaks when it comes to officialdom – a belief widely held among their rivals. Richie McCaw is the poster boy for this contention. One of the best opensides to have played the game, McCaw thrived on the edge of legality and the fact he received only three yellow cards in 148 Test appearances is a remarkable statistic. Examples of All Blacks getting softer treatment are too numerous to mention but it is worth recalling the 2016 Test in Dublin when a ferociously physical New Zealand saw their 21-9 victory directly aided by Sam Cane and Malakai Fekitoa avoiding red cards for dangerous hits – decisions which directly influenced World Rugby’s subsequent crackdown on high tackles.
CONCLUSION: New Zealand are rugby royalty and easy to admire. But, on a broader scale, you can claim the All Blacks juggernaut has been indulged for too long and knocking them off their perch at the summit of the game requires a ruthless attacking of their iconic status – the same type of ruthlessness that got them to the top in the first place.