mens
international
Are the All black people in the entertainment or excellence industry?
There’s no doubting the aspects of Saturday’s 43-21 victory Australia in Sydney were fun. Hell, I’ve rarely laughed harder than when No.8 Wallace City walked in to score from the back of the match in the first half. If this is what Bledisloe Cup rugby has come down to, then the next few iterations should be a side split.
I took a peek at some of the post-match reactions and looked at the player ratings, and it seems like everyone loved this day’s entertainment. The All Blacks, individually and collectively, played superbly and coach Dave Rennie says this type of running rugby is the blueprint for success at the World Cup.
Against whom, I wonder? Australia, obviously. As well as trans-Tasman fellow Group A rivals Chile and Hong Kong China.
The All Blacks will beat them all good and proper, and then it is, all things being equal South Africa in the quarterfinals. How do we think it will work?
I try not to be grumpy all the time, so I remembered the big and meaningful All Blacks wins in my life. The 43-6 win over Australia at Athletic Park quickly came to mind.
I was there that day to see great New Zealand the team beat a very good Wallaby. The conditions were awful, but the rugby anything but, as the All Blacks systematically dismantled their worthy opponents.
It’s not about everything getting better in my day and how we used to walk 10 miles to school barefoot every morning. It’s about recognizing whether winning is worth anything or not.
On that rainy day Wellington 30 years ago it stands out because this was an All Black team that at the time was not just looking for wins, but perfection. Some of Steve Hansen’s teams have chased the same at different stages of his coaching tenure.
They were elite, the best of the best, playing rugby as it should be played, despite the strength and style of their opposition.
I covered the team during Hansen’s time and was constantly struck by their thirst for improvement. Never satisfied, never the finished article, always seeking excellence and hopefully, one day, perfection.
The Springboks are the heirs to the throne in 2011 and 2015 Rugby World Cup headlines put the All Blacks. They are a team that play rugby like no one has consistently been able to match and have a relentless, insatiable appetite to beat teams that only the greats possess.
With all due respect to the Wallaby team that ran out in Sydney on Saturday, we’re talking about a completely different animal here.
I just don’t think you beat South Africa like New Zealand beat Australia in these Bledisloe Cup mismatches. You don’t score tries with the ease that City and Josh Moorby did against the Wallabies, and there’s definitely nothing to laugh about during the game.
The All Blacks’ smiles in the first half told you how seriously they take this competition.
And that’s great. You can only play whoever is placed in front of you. But the difference between the modern Springboks and the great All Blacks teams I mentioned is that they would go on and do the job on the Wallabies.
When you’re that much better than your opponent, you go ahead and win by 60 or 70. If your standard is excellence and you’re chasing perfection, don’t let a 36-7 halftime lead become 43-21.
Never mind that South Africa are so physically superior to the All Blacks that they would never be in a position to play that kind of rugby against them; they also force and punish mistakes in a way Australia clearly cannot.
Are you seriously telling me that that brand of foot and that staff can beat South Africa next year? You are dreaming. I mean, when you can’t catch shots or win your own ball, you’re against it to begin with.
If we’re being honest with ourselves, the Springboks destroyed the All Blacks this year. I was hoping to grow from it; I hoped to learn; I was hoping for a heavy edge in this team that could see them upset South Africa next year.
But on the back of that four-Test series, all I’ve seen is a regression towards praising the same rugby played by the same players who failed in 2019 and 2023 and who won’t progress beyond the quarter-finals in 2027.