The test season for 2008 has closed, and one poor game in Cardiff last October has not dethroned New Zealand from the summit of world rugby.
It is a form of savage redemption for the All Black faithful the results that we have seen this year. It is insulting to World rugby and to New Zealand to state “best between World Cups” – for that would indicate that no other rugby except the William Webb Ellis trophy is significant.
Since 2003 the All Blacks have been unchallenged as the form team of World Rugby—being only bettered by England in 2003 and South Africa in 2007—regrettably, we did not have the pleasure of seeing New Zealand cross the Cup champions in those tournaments (oh what games they would have been!).
In this time, the All Blacks have recorded at least ten wins a season; and this year recorded a magical thirteen wins, the best in a non World Cup calendar year (for the log, England hold the record with 17 wins in 2003, and South Africa are second with 14 wins in 2007).
In this six year period, New Zealand has only tasted defeat 10 times—have never lost the Bledisloe, held the Tri Nations five times, and recorded two Grand Slams, and only twice lost to the Northern Hemisphere.
However, in the same epoch, twice has a World Cup been up for grabs, and New Zealand has fallen, for a myriad of reasons, on the grandest of rugby stages.
The All Blacks have now effectively lost—or choked—in their last three World Cups. Cynics of New Zealand rugby say it has been every World Cup, but this is wrong. In 1991 the All Blacks were doomed to failure with joint coaches (Canterbury’s Alex Wyllie and Auckland’s John Hart) and an aging team; and then came up against a Wallabies team finally announcing themselves as a genuine World power.
In 1995 the All Blacks relied too heavily on Jonah Lomu, and lost not only to a team, but a nation and the Madiba.
This leads us back to the present day—with a coaching staff, the unholy trinity of Graham Henry, Wayne Smith and Steve Hanson who were reappointed despite the last World Cup debacle.
Of course, despite my personal criticisms of the decision to reappoint the holy trinity of All Black coaches—it is a choice that has proved to be sound. The only problem was that the coaching team moved heaven and earth to win the World Cup, and despite it being their “job description” which they failed; they were reallotted their roles.
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