LEADING MEN
THE ALL BLACKS HAVE HAD MANY GREAT LEADERS OVER THE YEARS. HERE WE PROFILE SOME OF THE BEST AND TRY TO GET TO THE HEART OF WHAT THEY BROUGHT TO THE TEAM.
We look at some of the great players and captains who have been key leaders for the All Blacks. All Blacks captain Richie McCaw was eye-gouged in the 2011 World Cup final but no one in o cialdom seemed to care.
RICHIE McCAW
TESTS: 148 AS CAPTAIN: 110 WIN RATIO AS CAPTAIN: 89 PER CENT The foundation of Richie McCaw’s captaincy was his ability as a player. He held the view that it was the captain’s responsibility to lead by example and that he was obligated to be, or at least try to be, the best player in the team. Performance would be the foundation of his leadership.
Few would disagree that he achieved his goal – winning the World Rugby Player of the Year award three times and signing o as arguably the greatest rugby player in history.
But there was more to his captaincy than form. He worked at his captaincy all the time, believing he needed to actively manage it rather than just rely on learning through experience.
He spent time getting to know how the mind worked under pressure and he built strategies to help him stay calm and communicate clearly to others.
In the toughest games, when things started to go wrong, McCaw became expert at taking control, calming his team down and keeping them focused on the task at hand.
BUCK SHELFORD
TESTS: 22 AS CAPTAIN: 14 WIN RATIO AS CAPTAIN: 97 PER CENT With a military background, Buck Shelford knew all about discipline and hard work. He never cut corners, never thought it was okay to leave anything out on the field, and his teammates were always aware of what he was putting in and knew they had to match it. Knowing that they had to win Shelford’s approval was a big motivation even for senior All Blacks and kept them pushing their limits.
He was also fearless and capable of throwing himself into the battle with seeming disregard for his own safety. He earned worldwide fame when he played on against France despite the fact one of his testicles had been ripped open. That was Shelford, a hard man with a clear mind and a dedication to the cause few could match.
TANA UMAGA
TESTS: 74 AS CAPTAIN: 21 WIN RATIO AS CAPTAIN: 85 PER CENT A class player who used a combination of pace, power, defensive ruggedness and awareness to become one of the best All Blacks midfielders in history, Tana Umaga assumed the captaincy in June 2004. Newly installed head coach Graham Henry felt Umaga was a natural leader – intelligent, articulate and aware of the qualities required to win tests.
Umaga was an innovative thinker who embraced the change to a player-led coaching model at the end of his first year in charge – a shift which required senior players to take on more responsibility to lead the team. That level of input suited his personality and he clearly relished the set up – playing superbly in 2005. As much as he was tactically astute – a point proven by his successful transition to the coaching world – he was at his most e ective when he was hunting attackers, knocking them back with his aggressive defence and inspiring those around him with his commitment and accuracy.
SEAN FITZPATRICK
TESTS: 92 TESTS AS CAPTAIN: 51 WIN RATIO AS CAPTAIN: 78 PER CENT It took Sean Fitzpatrick a few years to grow into the role of All Blacks captain after he was given the job in 1992. It was maybe bestowed upon him too soon and initially it a ected his form.
But by 1994 he had a degree of comfort with what he was doing and with that, he developed quickly.
By 1995, Fitzpatrick had become a dominant figure not just within the All Blacks but within world rugby.
He was astute, street smart rather than book smart. He managed referees superbly, he read opposition teams well and he was strong at feeding to his team what he thought he was seeing. He gave the All Blacks a sense of being professional when the game was still amateur and his hard edge drove standards at training.
He signed o in 1997 as arguably, at that time, one of the greatest captains in All Blacks history.
BRIAN LOCHORE
TESTS: 25 TESTS AS CAPTAIN: 18 WIN RATIO AS CAPTAIN: 83 PER CENT ALL BLACKS COACH: 1985-1987 A superb loose forward who could cover lock, Brian Lochore o ered a compelling mix of brain and brawn. He was tactically savvy and a deep thinker, conscious of the need to have his teammates motivated and pulling together.
Colin Meads, in his autobiography, put it best when he said of Lochore: “At the peak of his career, from 1966 through to 1969, he was everything I would want in a No 8. He spared himself, not an ounce working away in the tight-loose, covering, winning us great lineout ball in the deep, backing and filling and playing his part in the rolling drive-and-feed. As a captain he could be self-effacing, for this was the very nature of the man.”
Such was Lochore’s standing that he went on to become a successful coach – winning the World Cup in 1987 – and then as a national selector in 2004 through to 2007. The fact a modern coaching trio wanted to use him as a selector 34 years after he had retired said everything of Lochore’s ability to astutely read players and keep himself valuable and relevant.
GRAHAM MOURIE
TESTS: 21 TESTS AS CAPTAIN: 19 WIN RATIO AS CAPTAIN: 78 PER CENT A deeply intelligent man with a measured and sometimes alternate view of the world, Graham Mourie played with a mix of athleticism, creativity, bravery and innovation. He had an immense range of skills, was a natural runner and distributor and yet he was also a crunching tackler and forager.
He led the All Blacks to a Grand Slam in 1978 and that was proof he had the skills to keep a range of strong characters and personalities on track to achieve something that hadn’t been done.
GRAHAM HENRY
ALL BLACKS COACH: 2004-2011 Graham Henry had the bravery and drive to drag the All Blacks into the professional age and make radical change in the way the team was governed.
He introduced the player-led coaching model and was willing to lessen his own position to strengthen the team.
One of the game’s great tactical minds, he instilled within the All Blacks a natural desire to push the boundaries and use all of their skills to win tests. Coaching the team to World Cup glory in 2011 – having failed as coach in 2007 – was testament to his perseverance and willingness to make changes.
STEVE HANSEN
ASSISTANT COACH: 2004-2011 HEAD COACH: 2012- Steve Hansen served a long apprenticeship as assistant coach before graduating to the top job. That time as assistant gave him an opportunity to fully understand what he would bring to the role as head coach and he made an immediate impact. He took a good culture and a good team and made them better.
He restored a sense of fun and yet not at the expense of hard work and discipline. The All Blacks have learned to prepare for longer and more deeply since Hansen took over as coach.
He has asked them to be better each day and take on the challenge of following up great performances with great performances.
The All Blacks have only lost four tests in five years since Hansen took over – it’s a phenomenal record that says technically, tactically and psychologically, he’s doing a lot right.