(Photo by Ross Land/Getty Images)
The All Blacks have the cliché, “you’re only as good as your last game” applied to them more than any team in world rugby, which puts into perspective the pressure that the players and coaching staff face.
When Dan Carter looked to move overseas, he said at the conclusion of the World Cup, where he took the field despite still suffering the effects of a calf strain, that he was unprepared for the pressure that both he and the squad felt in both the build up and after the tournament.
A further comment was made by Carter—who has now resigned with the Canterbury Union—about the pressures of New Zealand rugby, saying that the expectation and pressure was felt at all levels, both on and off the field.
Interviews with Carter before leaving Perpignan indicated that beyond the joys of living life in Europe, that the lack of pressure in France was uplifting and equally quite surprising.
We now see this pressure applied again after the All Blacks suffered a 27-22 loss to an excellent performance by the French.
In fact, it wasn’t that Les Bleus were particularly brilliant, but rather executed a simple game plan to which the All Blacks couldn’t and quite simply never looked like countering.
And as a consequence, the hounds are unleashed to the All Blacks door.
Equally, the memories of their ardent fans show themselves to be short indeed.
The comments have been remarkable.
“This proves that the NZRU made a mistake in reappointing Graham Henry."
A coach who with 64 games has amassed a near 86 percent winning record, better than any other in rugby history of any country.
“The All Blacks have been playing poorly for quite some time."
Their last match before France was a victory over England, their ninth straight win, securing a Grand Slam and winning their 13th test match for the calendar year.
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