|
|
NZ Rugby World column,
October 2005
Well, it's been a fantastic year of All Black rugby. I'm writing this
in San Francisco en route to a week in the UK where I'll be spending time
with old friends in Lancaster and London. I have a dinner on Thursday
night at my old school, Lancaster Grammar, where I'm scheduled to field a
bunch of questions on business, leadership and inevitably New Zealand
rugby. The Poms are still talking about the Rugby World Cup and I guess we
have another two years to put up with this. Having said that, they are
still talking about the 1966 Soccer World Cup so who knows how long this
might go on for.
I saw the All Blacks live four times this year and watched the other
games in various cities around the world. What did we learn?
- We have the best coaching and selector panel in the world.
- When I was on the New Zealand Rugby Union Board, we tried hard to
dissuade Graham from taking the Welsh job. He handled the whole affair
maturely and transparently. He wanted an assurance that he would be
the next All Blacks coach, which we were unable to guarantee given the
selection process at the time. Quite rightly, Graham was ambitious to
test himself at the highest level and, as we could not guarantee the
All Blacks job at that stage, he left to become The Great Redeemer. We
immediately implemented the controversial "Graham Henry
ruling" stating that if you went to coach overseas you could not
be considered for the All Blacks job. This was always designed to be a
temporary stop gap to sow seeds of doubts in our senior coaches whilst
we regrouped to figure out our own strategy for what was best for All
Blacks rugby. Of course, it has now become crystal clear that Graham,
Steve and Wayne benefited enormously as coaches from their stint in
the Northern Hemisphere. They were able to experiment with new ideas
whilst simultaneously building first-hand knowledge of players,
strategies and tactics in the Northern Hemisphere. Goodbye to the
Henry ruling!
The addition of BJ Lochore to the three-man coaching panel has been a
master stroke and there is no doubt that we have competitive advantage
against every nation. This is carried through in every specialty area;
scrummaging, fitness, recovery, game planning, kicking, etc., are all
best in world. And we have a load of up and coming young coaches
backing up this trio once they deliver the 2007 World Cup. Young
coaches like Warren Gatland and John Kirwan are certain to figure in
All Blacks rugby towards the end of the decade.
- The NZRU are operating at world class levels. Jock Hobbs, Chris
Moller and Steve Tew have formed a decisive leadership unit which is
making the right decisions strategically as well as ensuring
first-class operating execution. The Board appears cohesive and
decisive and, in the sixteen years I've been in New Zealand, I have
never seen management and the Board working so well together. They are
simultaneously moving us forward internationally and domestically and
I believe are unquestionably the top bunch of administrators in the
world game today.
- We have a world class captain at the peak of his powers. Tana has
stepped up the way Sean Fitzpatrick stepped up when Laurie Mains gave
him the captaincy. He has expressed his own personality, demonstrated
inspirational leadership by example, and his overall game has improved
as he has relished the leadership role entrusted to him. He has once
again made the All Black captain a fearsome sight. He is a warrior in
the Sean Fitzpatrick and Buck Shelford mould who has the respect of
referees, opponents, media, teammates and fans. In what is probably
the highest profile position in New Zealand, he has exemplified the
characteristics we expect from our great leaders and has added his own
personal cultural dimension to the job which is reflective of the new
New Zealand. If ever a man deserves to hold the William Webb Ellis cup
aloft it is Tana Umaga.
- We have a couple of strong captains in waiting. Richie McCaw is
growing as a player and a leader every game. He leads by example from
the front and has a very positive, sharp rugby brain. He works well
with Tana and is learning all the time. I expect to see him continue
to grow in leadership terms during the upcoming UK tour.
I also believe we have another captain in waiting in the second
row. Ali Williams has been a fiery, controversial figure but he has
the capability and passion to become an All Black leader. His
decision-making skills in the Tri-Nations series were terrific and his
sense of personal responsibility has never been stronger. There have
been setbacks along the way but we must not forget that even the great
Colin Meads had the odd moment of on-field passion! I think Williams
has a lot to offer the All Blacks.
- We have a very smart thinking mid field. Dan Carter, Aaron Mauger
and Luke McAlister all have instinctive, brilliant rugby brains which
provide time and space for everyone around them. They implement
pre-ordained game plans and set moves proficiently but are at their
best when the chips are down and the pressure is on. They have the
innate confidence and ability to change the flow and make the play
that counts. This will stand us in good stead when the opposition
lifts their game and puts our original game plan at risk. An
intelligent mid field is vitally important in today's highly
technical, highly organised defensive game. I believe we have the best
in the world and I can't wait to see McAlister have a trot at number
twelve in Europe.
- Despite the one-eyed Stephen Jones and his Northern Hemisphere
colleagues' views, we have one of the two best front rows (along with
South Africa) in the world. And what's more we've Anton Oliver and
Greg Somerville to make up the third best front row in the world too.
Full credit to Mike Crow for what he's achieved in raising the
technical ability of our front row. They create the platform we will
need against France in 2007.
- We have blistering pace at the back. With Rokocoko, Sivivatu,
Howlett, Gear, Nonu and Muliaina, we have rocket like explosiveness on
the flanks. We also have increased technical ability and flexibility
in every position. Kicking the ball to our back three will be a
dangerous undertaking for any side.
|
|
What else did we learn in this great season?
- Well, for all So'oialo's efforts, we are still not world class at
number eight. Collins has stepped up and McCaw is unbeatable. Compared
though to All Black teams of the past, we have a weakness at eight and
this probably leads to South Africa having a slight edge in the overall,
vitally important back row stakes. We also learned that the South
Africans are back - well coached, well captained, well organised and
well disciplined. Tough to beat but do they have the pace, flair and
innovation to keep progressing? We'll have to see.
- And finally we learned that the Australians are in the same position
as they were going into the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Whilst they have been
unlucky with injuries, and have as always played very bravely, they look
as if a few of their key players have passed their best by date. And
their front row does seem vulnerable.
What do we still need to learn?
- Well, we've got to start better. No longer can we afford to give up
ten or thirteen points in the first fifteen minutes. The haka seems to
fire up our opposition as much as our own players these days. We need to
turn on quicker as we did against Australia at Eden Park.
- We also need to reduce the penalty count. Probably not by changing the
way we play, but perhaps by spending more time educating these Northern
Hemisphere referees!
- We need to learn to follow the example of the great Auckland side of
the late 1980's and apply the pressure relentlessly from beginning to
end. No let ups. We should be beating sides by 20 points plus. We're
good enough if we can keep playing at peak tempo. We have reached a
level of fitness for the new game of rugby in terms of upper body
strength, explosive speed and stamina and we need to exploit this
remorselessly turning up the pressure for the full eighty minutes.
I hope we go to Europe and pile the points on and come back with the
Grand Slam to complete a fantastic 2005 for New Zealand rugby.
|
