Whitelock to join the 100 club
Sam Whitelock was barely two seasons, and 20 tests, into his All Blacks career when he sat down with coach Steve Hansen and vowed to make it to 100. He has been as good as his word, and then some.
The 29-year-old Crusaders lock will run out at ANZ Stadium in Sydney on Saturday night (kickoff 9.45pm NZT) to become just the eighth All Black, and first in his position, to make it to the
100-test plateau.
He will do so as a ‘‘perfectionist’’ who has learned to moderate his thinking and trust his instincts to become one of the finest players of his generation.
‘‘When he first came in he was a deep thinker, and everything had to be perfect. There was not a lot of flexibility in that thinking,’’ recalled All Blacks coach Steve Hansen, who was an assistant when Whitelock debuted in June
2010 against Ireland. His first nine tests, all off the bench, hardly hinted at what was to come. ‘‘That probably inhibited him, but he now trusts his instincts and that’s improved him as a player. He’s always been a quality athlete.
‘‘Sometimes we forget that because Brodie [Retallick] is so good, but Sam in his own right is one of the world’s best locks: he can carry, defend, and he’s good in the set piece.’’
Hansen recalled that moment when Whitelock was asked to nominate a far-reaching goal for the All Blacks. ‘‘He wanted to play 100 test matches ... you’ve got to be playing consistently well to get 20 – to play 100 tells you what a quality player he is.’’
Whitelock recalls that little goal-setting exercise only too well. ‘‘The first couple of years I felt like I was going all right. We were talking around setting a goal that you thought might be a little bit unachievable, and that was one at that stage no one had done for the All Blacks.’’
Now the centurion club members are jostling for the best spots at the bar, with Whitelock joining Richie McCaw, Keven Mealamu, Tony Woodcock, Dan Carter, Kieran Read, Ma’a Nonu and Mils Muliaina in the special group. Owen Franks is just one test away from adding his bulk.
‘‘It’s gone quick,’’ said Whitelock before reflecting on the person he had become.
‘‘Steve reckons I’m pretty stubborn, and he’s probably correct. But sometimes it takes a stubborn person to know a stubborn person.
‘‘I’ve grown in a lot of areas. At times I’ve had to lose a game to learn some hard lessons. I got dropped a couple of times out of the starting XV, and those were great lessons. I probably learnt a little bit quicker than I used to because no one likes not playing.’’
Some statistics reflect the sustained nature of Whitelock’s excellence.
Of all the All Blacks centurions he will have lost the fewest matches, with just eight defeats to his name.
And since he debuted, in 2010, he has missed just 12 of the 111 tests played over that span.
He concedes the ‘‘perfectionist’’ descriptor applied to his approach is not a million miles from the mark.
‘‘At the start I was very dedicated to trying to get everything perfect. But, as I know now, it never happens that way.
Some games you might drop the ball early but it doesn’t mean the rest of the game is a writeoff.’’
TJ Perenara’s take that he ‘‘hated’’ playing against Whitelock is mentioned. Big Sam breaks into a grin.
‘‘I think that’s the biggest compliment you can get. Our job as tight forwards is to annoy 9s, 10s and 12s, if they are ever around the ruck. It’s good to know I was getting to him.’’
Adds Hansen: ‘‘He’d be an annoying bugger to play against because he’s just there all the time and doesn’t go away. He’s a quality player, in your face, he doesn’t miss too many tackles, and he’s a winner. They’re always annoying to play against.’’
Whitelock is reminded of his 2012 demotion when Hansen said others were playing better.
‘‘I was just taking it a little bit for granted. I was still playing all right but it wasn’t how the senior lock was expected to play.
‘‘I took a bit of time to take that on board. It was probably the start of that learning happening quicker, rather than sitting on my backside thinking about it and blaming someone else.’’