All Blacks best sports team in the world, says coach
ALL BLACKS head coach Stuart Lancaster has described his team as “the best team in any sport in the world”.
“In world sport, could you tell me a team that has a record like theirs internationally?” he said, when asked about the status of the team as the finest ever to have represented New Zealand.
“I don’t think any of the football teams have got it, Spain for example. In cricket, no one has a record like that. So, yes, this is the best. You would have to say so because of their record.
“On the back of winning a World Cup when teams traditionally take a dip, maybe do not kick-on, or rest on their laurels, they have managed to retain the hunger and desire to keep wining. The Rugby Championship is a very tough tournament to win and New Zealand have done that twice.”
So is he correct? Are New Zealand’s rugby union side the best team currently competing in world sport?
Here are the candidates for the best team in world sport:
New Zealand rugby
Since the All Blacks won the World Cup two years ago they have lost just one of their last 25 matches — to England, 38-21, at Twickenham 12 months ago. They have stormed to victory in the last two editions of the Rugby Championship, clocking up at least four tries in four of the six matches played during the most recent campaign.
Spain football Since triumphing in the 2008 Euro Championships, Spain have added the 2010 World Cup and the 2012 Euros to their trophy cabinet, meaning their recent tally reads: major tournaments competed in: three; major tournaments won: three.
Vicente del Bosque’s men have played 31 times since the start of 2012, losing only once, 3-0 to Brazil in the Confederations Cup final last summer.
South Africa cricket The nature of cricket makes it difficult to dominate all three forms of the sport (test, ODI and T20) at the same time, but Graeme Smith’s side have been the team to beat in the long form of the game for some time, topping the world rankings and losing just four of their last 29 matches.
They have not lost a complete
TONGUE-TIED: New Zealand's All Blacks perform the Haka ahead of their test at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis near Paris on November 9 test series during that time and in AB De Villiers, Hashim Amla, Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander they possess the top two batsmen and bowlers in the world.
US women’s basketball While a strong case can be made for the US men’s basketball team, the women’s record over almost three decades is simply unbeatable and trumps their male counterparts.
The US have lost one match at the Olympics and World Championships since 1994, while they were beaten just twice in the decade before that. At London 2012 they won their fifth consecutive Olympic title.
Russia synchronised swimming Since the 2000 Olympics there have been two synchronised swimming gold medals up for grabs at every Games. Russia won them all. The World Championships offer seven gold medal opportunities. Russia have won them all at the last two attempts, claiming 22 golds in 22 events. China table tennis Table tennis was admitted into the Olympic Games in 1988 and 28 gold medals have been available since then. Of those 28 China have won 24, adding 15 silver medals and eight bronzes to their tally during that time. Due to China’s dominance the rules were changed for London 2012 to allow only two competitors from each country to enter each event. China still won every gold. — © The Daily Telegraph, London Comment on this: write to tellus@sundaytimes.co.za or SMS us at 33971 www.timeslive.co.za