Closing Time

The All Blacks head to South Africa for the Tri-Nations Tournament as the best closers in rugby. In the last five meetings between the All Blacks and the Springboks, the All Blacks have dominated late in the game, with four wins coming thanks to try-scoring sprees in the final quarter of those matches. Backline coach Wayne Smith attributes the All Blacks’ strength to their profound depth. “If you want intensity in a Test match for 80 minutes, you’ve got to have 22 players able to contribute. You can’t have 16, 17, or 18 because at some point you’re going to lose intensity.”