All Blacks begin NZ’s World Cup mission
The All Blacks leave New Zealand on Thursday night intent on giving Rugby World Cup history a total rewrite.
Captain Richie McCaw and his band of men in black have three Missions Impossible tasks to accomplish in England.
In the 28 years of the RWC, no side has been able to defend its title.
No country has won three times; New Zealand (1987, 2011), Australia (1991, 1999) and South Africa (1995, 2007) have done it twice. No All Blacks side has captured the Webb Ellis Cup outside of New Zealand.
In spite of consistently being world No 1, All Black attempts to win the cup in the northern hemisphere have sunk without trace.
Australia scuttled the All Black Armada in 1991, then France torpedoed it in 1999.
And then there was the 2007 Cardiff Catastrophe, a humiliating quarterfinal loss in our grey alternate strip to a fired up France.
Past horrors will lurk for the next two months when early morning darkness is broken as lights and televisions flicker on.
Generations from old and wrinkled to fresh-faced and naive will crawl out of bed, hunt down their slippers, socks and dressing gowns, boil the billy and settle in for the game.
Rugged Argentina are first up in Pool C, at 3.45am on Monday week.
Next up, Namibia (Friday 25, 7am), the tiny African nation who have never won a cup match.
Georgia with their robust forwards are on Saturday, October 3 at a civilised 8am.
Tonga complete pool play at the same time the following Saturday.
Should the All Blacks win Pool C, their quarterfinal will be in Cardiff against the runners-up in Pool D - either Ireland or France.
Uh, oh. France in Cardiff. Surely rugby lightning can’t strike twice. Or can it?
The words ‘‘France’’, ‘‘forward’’, ‘‘pass’’, ‘‘Wayne’’ and ‘‘Barnes’’ have been known to arouse anxiety levels, even eight years on.
Which true rugby fan can honestly say they have never woken at 3am in a cold sweat, fretting about drop goals or the All Blacks’ alternate strip, after defeat in the silver monstrosity in 2007?
Even in 2011, when the All Blacks ended 24 years of cupcraving by creeping past France 8-7 at Eden Park there was whiteknuckled anguish.
A fourth-string first five-eighth in a tiny No 10 jersey called ‘‘Beaver’’ got us home.
So this time we’re not gloating the job is as good as done.
We’ve been painfully rucked over too often.
We farewell the All Blacks hoping for the best, but with cautionary words from coach Steve Hansen ringing in our ears.
‘‘There is not an expectation that we should win it by right,’’ Hansen said. ‘‘We’re not going to defend the World Cup because it’s not ours to defend.’’
In this social media age, the All Blacks have a Facebook page, a Twitter account, Instagram and Snapchat.
If you so desire, they’ll beep in from overseas at all hours, just like other Kiwi youngsters on their big OE.
But not many parents can check up on their globetrotting offspring in the newspapers, on news websites, or the telly as well.
When the tournament is over, the All Blacks will find us waiting to warmly welcome them home. No matter what.