Rugby’s Slam Dunk

The All Blacks have won their third Grand Slam and the inaugural Sir Edmund Hillary Shield beating England at Twickenham 32-6. In The Independent Hugh Godwin writes: “The clever clogs who got rid of old-style touring played into the All Blacks’ hands; when those hands are like Dan Carter’s, the error is magnified. It has been punished now by two Grand Slams against England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales in four years. To paraphrase the beaten England manager here, Martin Johnson, give them a chance and they take it. ‘It’s an 80-minute game,’ said captain Richie McCaw, by which he meant all England’s efforts in keeping the score to 12-6 after 57 minutes did not amount to a trough of sheep-dip. ‘We have got great self-belief, great character,’ said Dan Carter. His coach, Graham Henry, confessed to scarcely believing the five Test wins on this trip: oh yes, they had beaten Australia in Hong Kong on the way over.”