Cracking the Code

For us outsiders, it is easy to pass off a rare All Black defeat as a one off. An anomaly. Like getting a B in religious studies when you’re rocking A’s galore in the subjects that matter. New Zealand will bounce back. It would take a brave punter to back their opponents next week, or the week after. Bugger it, you’re brave if you ever wager against the World Champs.  But, what outsiders classify as an anomaly, is simultaneously the greatest fear for those in the inner sanctum. It is the reason for the extra rep, the justification for the ‘clean as’ feed.  Whilst the rest of us might lie awake on a Sunday night asking searching life questions like ‘why am I still drinking Hooch at the age of 31’; The All Blacks’ sheep counting is interrupted by visions of that B grade performance, the anomaly. Why the worry? They’ll win next time, they will win the Rugby Championship.  For the answer, I defer to the All Black sides of the 1995, 1999, 2003 and 2007 Rug...

“Unfortunately that’s two threes (pens) we’ve had to take now, not a try” At the time it seemed a clever quip from Wallaby skip, Michael Hooper. His nod to sticks, delivered with a subtle side of dissatisfaction. The open side, casually reminding referee, Jaco Peyper that this was the second occasion that an Australian attack had found itself thwarted by an All Black infringement, when he felt the watch was ticking towards try time.  Had this been Soccer Football, Hooper would have been in the grill of the South African whistleblower. His thumb pressed against his index finger, frantically waving an invisible card, whilst issuing a barrage of profanity, in attempt to gain sway with the official. Alas, this is Rugby Union. When dealing with ‘Sir’, one must refrain from such truculence in seeking to influence the referee's perception. A clever quip, perhaps, but I ain’t got no quarrel with the officiating. It is the mindset that manifested in the decision to go for the t...

Argentina v Wales Therein lies a fundamental difference between English and Welsh rugby, I recall thinking to myself, as I enviously read that England had defeated Argentina for the second week in succession . A feat, I marked as particularly impressive due to the fact the victory had been achieved by an England side devoid of their Lions stars. I was convinced that the quality within the Welsh ranks didn’t run deep enough to front Argentina in their own backyard and come up with a W.  Fast forward a year, and it’s a case of what do I know. Clinical A and dominant D, and I’m talking Shaun Edwards style dominant, were the driving force behind a victory in San Juan that puts Wales half way to matching the achievement of their English counterparts  Post match, Warren Gatland, spoke of a street fight mentality that Wales had planned on bringing to the party. A mentality that manifested in the combative defensive effort. That said, it is perhaps a disappointment that Cu...

1888. An Irishman, Englishman, Welshman and a Scotsman walk into a bar. They have a chug and a chinwag, before you know it they agree to create a touring rugby team that will combine the best players from each nation. Delighted with their creation, they move on to discuss who would be selected for said team. They cannot agree. Rather, they agree to disagree in perpetuity. As much as on field unity is paramount to the ability of the British & Irish Lions to be successful on field. The disharmony when it comes to selection discussion is a key indicator that the brand is alive and well in the eye of the rugby public. We value the jersey. It matters who is picked. When it doesn't, it ends. So, with that backdrop, welcome to my inaugural Lions selection meeting/monologue. Conflicts of Interest Admit it. We all have them. Whether it be affinity to players from a certain nation or being a coach who has a son vying for selection. Ok, the latter scenario is unlikely to be appl...

October 31 2015, Rugby World Cup Final, New Zealand (1/3 - FAV) v Australia (9/4) , Twickenham. October 22 2016, Bledisloe Cup (dead rubber), New Zealand (1/25 - FAV) v Australia (9/1), Eden Park. Cold hard facts that paint a tale of exponential growth in All Black dominance, not just over their cross Tasman rivals but also the rest of World Rugby. Patience, England, we know you fancy a pop. To think there were concerns that post the Autumnal glory at HQ, the All Black ship would find itself in choppy seas without good ol Captain McCaw and First Mate Carter to guide it home. Transition period? Not here.    The All Blacks are the World's premier rugby team. News to nobody. However, the manner in which they have extended their preeminence over Rugby Championship rivals this season, is news. Six games, six victories, six bonus points and a score differential of 178 – an average winning margin of nearly 30 points. Australia, South Africa and Argentina all finished t...

Scanning selectively through the back pages of the Sydney Morning Herald, waiting for my never perfect porridge to reach a mouth eligible temperature, is a well established part of my daily routine. The subsequent norm is to tuck into the day's rugby headlines, whilst heavily exhaling, an act that I believe will cool my mouth from a breakfast that is inevitably still too hot for consumption. On Monday morning there was a minor divergence, the literary intake was an Aussie Rules piece. The article focused on the plight of Brisbane Lions' coach, Justin Leppitsch. The previous day, Coach Leppitsch's Lions, had defeated the Essendon Bombers in a basement battle. A victory, which preserved, Leppitsch's employment or so the author reliably informed me.  Had the article gone on to analyse the technicalities of what makes a successful AFL coach, I would have ditched it. It didn't. Instead it took a far more compelling, macro level view, of the key performance indica...

'Courageous', an adjective I hope isn't used to describe the Welsh performance, in this evening's all important Euro 2016 group match against Russia. If the nation finds itself celebrating the players' courage, we will probably be doing so in absence of the desired outcome, qualification. Three times last week, I watched courageous Welsh efforts in the sporting arena. Each time the courage yielded nothing more than defeat. It started on the Wednesday, and the Under 20's Rugby team. A performance built on abrasive defence, backed up by tactics that were far better suited to the wet conditions than those deployed by their New Zealand counterparts, lead to Wales edging it on the scoreboard with time all but done. The teams departed the field with the Baby Blacks victorious, courtesy of a last minute penalty from Jodie Barrett. On Thursday, and to Lens, where Wales temporarily found themselves in dreamland as they lead England at half time of the much anticipate...

Finance and its impact on the motivation of young sportsmen has been a prominent topic this week, what with Raheem Sterling's questionable decision to go public on his ongoing contract negotiations with Liverpool. Meanwhile in rugby circles, the news that one of New Zealand's hottest properties Charles Piutau , 23 has signed a big money deal to ply his trade with Ulster shocked the rugby fraternity in both hemispheres. Some on Twitter even querying whether it was an April fool. Admittedly a pretty niche joke, hardly Alan Partridge to be new presenter of top gear. In his interview for the BBC , Sterling was quick to assert that the fact he had turned down the comprehensive financial offer from Liverpool didn't make him a "money grabbing 20 year old", claiming that his primary motivations were to win silverware and be perceived as a "kid that loves to play football and do the best for the team". Although a move away from the Reds may indeed enhance S...

As I sit to write this, the 2015 Rugby World Cup countdown reads 315 days 22 hours and 33 minutes. This weekend, sees the return to our shores of the SANZAR superpowers on their end of year tours. Traditionally the Autumn Internationals provide an opportunity for the tourists to drip feed some new talent into the test environment whilst trying to exert dominance over their Northern Hemisphere opponents. For the hosts it is the start of the international season, a chance for the respective coaches to observe if their group can not only compete but defeat world class opposition. Given the proximity and location of next year's Rugby World Cup, does this year's series bare greater significance than previous? In June 1997 the English football team visited France to compete in Le Tournoi a four team round robin tournament featuring France, Italy and Brazil. The Tournament was played out as a prelude for France 98 the following year. England left as victors having defeated both F...

At Eden Park two weeks ago the All Blacks cemented their status as the worlds premier rugby team and with it the favourites tag for the World Cup. They had looked somewhat comfortable in defeating a wallaby side that most believe to be their greatest rivals to lift the Webb Ellis trophy on the same ground in late October.  Today Graham Henry's men will climb another rung on the ladder if they can defeat the Bokke at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Port Elizabeth. The challenge they have is to tame a beast that is fighting for respect and pride in the republic following a sub standard performance at King's  Park a week ago. As we have seen time again with the Boks when the chips are down they will revert to the style of rugby they know best. Bismarck starting at hooker ahead of John Smit is a clear indication of the physicality and brutality that the Boks will bring to the occasion particularly in the first quarter. Allied to this the selec...