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Well the final game in a, once again, very busy year for the All Blacks has ended. The game against the Barbarians wasn't the result we were looking for heading into Christmas, but it was a great chance for the new breed of All Blacks to get some match time. The Barbarians won 25 to 18.
Out of a very busy 14 test match year, the All Blacks won 10 and lost 4. The losses were 1 to France on the 13th of June (not a good start to the test season) and the other 3 losses were against a very strong South African side.
There have been some great improvements over the year and some new talent to get excited about. Zac Guildford will be in the All Blacks for some time to come I predict. Unless of course he is injured which will be a shame, but that boy has got talent and speed. Isaac Ross was another "newbie" to shine this season. He wasn't picked for the end of year tour as he was told he needed to do some strength training. In some respects it is a good thing but there is no better way to gain match and test experience (and game strength) while playing against strong opposition, rather than in the gym every day. Still, he will be another one that will be around for quite some time.
Yes, I will be the first to admit, the All Blacks did not have a vintage year. The best game this year was against France in Marseille. The All Blacks looked like the All Blacks of old. Passes were held onto, kicks (when there were any) were accurate, and the hits were hard. Once again, it came back to the lack of kicking where aimless kicks just gave the precious ball away to the opposition. The current rules have something to do with this but as we saw from the game agianst France, if you run with the ball in hand, you will create opportunities resulting in tries. I would much rather see our score go up in 5's and 7's rather than in 3's - boring!
It is now time for the coaches and the players to give rugby a rest for a couple months. Yes, the Super 14 starts again on the 12th of February. Crickey, that's still cricket season! But I believe that most of the All Blacks will be rested for a few weeks to give them a decent break.
Let's hope the All Blacks don't peak too early and once again miss out in the Rugby World Cup. Speaking of the RWC, I have a new web site devoted to the Rugby World Cup which will be held here in New Zealand. The web site is here: New Zealand 2011 Rugby World Cup. I hope to see you there.
