New Zealand All Blacks

Hoeata happy with debut outing

2011-07-23T20:51:00.003+12:00

A knee strain which forced Jarrad Hoeata from the field in his debut test could not wipe the smile from the Taranaki lock's face after helping the All Blacks to a 60-14 defeat of Fiji in Dunedin last night.

The 27-year-old left the field 15 minutes after the halftime break after tweaking his knee after landing awkwardly in a tackle early in the first half, but the disappointment of being forced from the field was softened by a performance in his first test that he could be proud of.

The 1.95 metre-tall Hoeata was prominent in the match until he was withdrawn and enjoyed a better game than his second row partner Ali Williams who was guilty of trying too much in his return to test rugby after more than two years in the wilderness.

Hoeata said he had a few butterflies before taking to the field as All Black number 1109.

"It was a very proud moment for myself and the family but it was a bit nerve-wracking going into it but once we got the haka and the anthems out of the way then it was all time to go.

"Just feeling all those emotions all kind of hit you at once - it was very special."

The abrasive New Zealand Maori representative said he had noticed a lift in intensity compared to Super rugby but the game itself failed to live up to any great heights.

"The rugby probably wasn't at a great level tonight, it felt a bit like a pre-season game almost, trying to cram all that content into five days and then put it on the pitch, there's always going to be mistakes and things like that but we got through it and got a good win."

He had benefited, he said, from playing with the Maori side in their centenary series in wins over Ireland and England last year which made the step up to test match rugby easier to make.

"The All Blacks are another step up again but playing games like that definitely gives you confidence and knowledge that you can match international teams," he said.

Hoeata who said he was happy with his first performance in the black jersey said team doctor Deb Robinson had looked at his knee and he was hopeful that it would not keep him on the sidelines.

- NZPA

First up win for All Blacks

2011-07-22T21:19:00.001+12:00

The All Blacks have won their first test of the season, beating Fiji 60 points to 14 at Carisbrook, Dunedin.

Williams ready for comeback

2011-07-21T16:31:00.001+12:00

Ali Williams may be about to play his first test rugby match since 2008 but the All Blacks lock is not getting ahead of himself when he takes the field against Fiji in Dunedin on Friday.

The 61-test veteran has his eyes set firmly on making the squad for the World Cup and sees the Carisbrook test as a stepping stone to achieving that goal, something that looked a distant dream last year.

A second serious Achilles injury in the space of a year had some questioning whether the 30-year-old could ever play at the top level again, but after coming through the Super 15 season with the Blues his comeback has been capped with a start at international level again.

"It's a reward for a lot of hard work but that's sort of half way up the mountain now. I've still got a lot of work to do so I'm thrilled to have the opportunity to do that.

"Once that jersey goes on the shoulders it'll be like it has never some off, but it means that I've got to do things that I haven't done in the past, which is exactly what I want," he said.

Williams, who will become the third most-capped New Zealand lock, will partner debutant Jarrad Hoeata in the second row and said the pair were in a similar position in the squad despite the gulf in experience between them.

"He's keen to pick everything up and the two of us have been running around asking the other boys questions because we haven't been in the environment. Between the two of us we'll just keep it simple and get out there and play."

Williams was itching to get back on the field after two weeks on the sidelines following the Blues' exit in the Super 15 semifinals .

"I just want to do my job, do the basics right, fit back in and add something to them. This is definitely a different game compared to Super 15," Williams said.

- NZPA

Blackadder for coach?

2011-07-10T14:11:00.001+12:00

What do you reckon? Will Todd Blackadder be the next All Blacks coach after Graham Henry decides to hang up the coaching whistle? Or should NZ try to get Robbie Deans back?

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/all-blacks/news/article.cfm?c_id=116&objectid=10737536&ref=rss

Not many tickets left for RWC 2011 - yeah right!

2011-07-04T14:02:00.002+12:00

Well it seems that as of today (Monday 4 July) there are still around 450,000 tickets left for the Rugby World Cup 2011 here in New Zealand.

This does not surprise me really. The tickets are over priced and a complicated ballot system doesn't help matters. It also doesn't help that the RWC organisers are coming down hard on even primary schools trying to make a little cash out of the RWC.

I know from my experiences, that the RWC people are very pedantic on what you show on your own website. I tried to promote official RWC rugby gear through an affiliate scheme, but in the end I canned the idea as they wanted far too much control on how I displayed their products - go figure.

I hope the RWC is a success - don't get me wrong. But they seem to be going about it all wrong.

RWC year and injuries

2011-06-30T07:38:00.002+12:00

Well, it's Rugby World Cup year (if you didn't know already!) and once again I am feeling a bit worried about the lead up test to the Tri Nations against Fiji.

The only thing I am worried about is the possibility of injury to our top players. Fiji will have nothing to lose when it meets the All Blacks. They will come out firing, especially due to the fact that the NZ Government will not allow any Fiji players into the country who are some how linked to the Fiji millitary coup.

Let's hope we get through this game unscathed.

Junior All Blacks win World Champs

2011-06-27T07:36:00.001+12:00

The New Zealand under-20 rugby team withstood a stirring challenge from an enterprising England to land their fourth successive junior world championship title with a 33-22 victory in the final in Padova, Italy this morning (NZT).

It took a try to fullback Beauden Barrett six minutes from time to secure the win for the Baby Blacks who were pushed hard by an England side willing to spread the ball and determined to end their unbeaten run in the competition's four-year history.

But Barrett's try and two others to winger Charles Piutau and prop Ben Tameifuna and 18 points from the boot of first five-eighths Gareth Anscombe were enough to earn them the title.

Both sides scored three tries each, but the unerring boot of man of the match Anscombe, who was successful with all seven shots at goal, proved the difference.

England started the better of the two sides, pinning the defending champions deep in their own territory for the opening quarter and were ahead after electric winger Christian Wade avoided halfback TJ Perenara to cross for the opening try in the seventh minute.

It was a struggle for New Zealand to make any headway as England first five-eighths George Ford, at 18 the youngest player at the tournament, kept driving the ball in behind them, using the breeze at their backs to good effect.

But when New Zealand did break out they looked threatening and winger Mitchell Scott was denied a try in the corner before Anscombe got them on the board via a penalty midway through the half.

A break down the sideline from hooker Cody Taylor was finished off by winger Piutau to give the Baby Blacks before Anscombe and Ford traded penalties.

Hawke's Bay prop Tameifuna was driven over by teammates a minute before the break to give New Zealand a 20-10 lead at the interval.

Another Anscombe penalty extended their advantage after the resumption before prop Henry Thomas rumbled down the touchline to score in the corner to give England hope.

Perenara pulled off a try-saving tackle to slip his arms under the flanker Matt Kvesic as he stretched out for the line and then a strong New Zealand drive eased the pressure from the resulting scrum.

Wade's second try after a kick and chase narrowed the gap to a point, and, with England's set-piece dominating, New Zealand's hold on the trophy looked shaky at best.

But another Anscombe penalty extended the lead to four points before Barrett kicked through a pass from Piutau to finally end England's hopes and Anscombe, fittingly, added the conversion.

Coach Mark Anscombe acknowledged his team had beaten a "very good England team" were superior in many areas of the game.

"We showed a lot of will power and heart to keep them out."

- NZPA

Better players than Donald - Henry

2011-06-22T13:59:00.001+12:00

All Blacks coach Graham Henry has all but ended Chiefs first five-eighth Stephen Donald's hopes of playing at the Rugby World Cup.

The All Black selectors today have given a glimpse of their preferences for this year by naming a group of players for the first of two training camps ahead of the Tri-Nations.

Twenty-five players have been named for a two-day camp in Wellington next week.

Donald, who has played 22 tests for the All Blacks, isn't among the players in the list which includes fellow no.10s Colin Slade and Aaron Cruden.

Henry told media today that he broke the news to Donald yesterday and said form was a factor.

"Difficult obviously because he's been a very positive member of that group for some time. He's a great guy to have in the team. Hugely well organised at training. We just think there are other people playing better right now.

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"Unless we have injuries he's unlikely to be involved."

Those named are from Super 15 teams who did not qualify for the finals playoffs, meaning Crusaders and Blues personnel are missing.

Other former All Blacks who are not in the squad are Highlanders prop Jamie Mackintosh and Chiefs trio Tanerau Latimer, Mike Delany and Lelia Masaga.

Mackintosh played one test for the All Blacks on the 2008 Grand Slam tour. Delany has also played one test, against Italy in 2009, while Latimer made five test appearances in 2009.

Masaga played his one test against Italy in 2009.

The second camp is to be held in Wellington on July 5-6.

The first All Blacks squad for the season are to be named on July 10.

Henry said the camps gave the selectors the chance to assess where candidates were at following their respective teams' participation in the Super 15.

"... these players are in contention for selection so we were keen to monitor their progress as well as further develop their skills," he said.

New Zealand sevens coach Gordon Tietjens, who recently led his side to their ninth world series title, is to conduct a training run on the second day of next week's camp.

Injured trio Israel Dagg, Tony Woodcock and Isaia Toeava have been named to attend that camp, with Henry explaining that gave All Blacks medical staff the chance to assess those with injuries.

The players invited to the first camp next week are as follows:

Chiefs: Ben Afeaki, Hikawera Elliot, Richard Kahui, Brendon Leonard, Liam Messam, Mils Muliaina and Sitiveni Sivivatu.

Hurricanes: Aaron Cruden, Hosea Gear, Andrew Hore, Cory Jane, Ma'a Nonu, Conrad Smith, Neemia Tialata, Victor Vito and Piri Weepu.

Highlanders: Jimmy Cowan, Tom Donnelly, Jarrad Hoeata, Colin Slade, Ben Smith and Adam Thomson.

Injured players: Israel Dagg, Isaia Toeava and Tony Woodcock.

- NZPA/HERALD ONLINE

Australian hurdle for Under-20s

2011-06-22T08:39:00.001+12:00

New Zealand's hopes of defending their IRB Junior World Championship title in Treviso depend on getting past last year's finalists Australia in the semi-final on Wednesday.

Having cruised through their three preliminary matches by beating Italy 64-7, Wales 92-0 and Argentina 48-15, the New Zealanders, known as the Baby Blacks, face an Australian side who beat Tonga 54-7, Fiji 50-25 and who lost to France 25-31. France and England will meet in the other semi-final.

New Zealand coach Mark Anscombe said he has been working hard to keep his side's feet on the ground.

"We know it's going to be a tough game and we have to play well if we are going to get the right result," he said.

The side had the weight of public pressure on it as a result of previous side's being unbeaten but Anscombe was insistent the side had to make their own statement and not live off the reputation of earlier sides.

"The challenge in New Zealand is having had three teams win it, no-one wants to be in the team that doesn't win it, so they are quite a competitive group.

"There is a lot of talent as we know but that isn't always enough and it is about the right attitude, preparation and looking after yourself and getting up for the game," he said.

Australia would be motivated to put last year's loss behind there and with six or seven players in their side from that final, compared to two from New Zealand, there was plenty of motivation to do well.

"I think both teams have different strengths and weaknesses so last year's result means nothing," he said.

First five-eighths Gareth Anscombe said: "They [Australia] might be hungry for revenge, but we are hungry too. It is never an easy challenge against them, but this is a semi-final and there is no second chance so we are hoping we can make the final."

Australian captain Colby Faingaa played in last year's final and has not forgotten the loss.

"They are the best side at this level and have demonstrated it. It is going to be a hard game, but if you want to be the best in the world you have to play the best and over the last four years at Under-20 level that has been them," he said.

"If we want to call ourselves the best then we have to beat them."

Australia would be looking to make a better start than in their last game, against France, when they poured on early points.

"We have worked hard on trying to start a lot better and against New Zealand everyone knows what kind of game and style they play and we are focused on how we are going to play," he said.

"New Zealand play a lot like [France do]. They like to run the ball and both like to try and get that little off-load through a hole and just chase people through. The game they play is quite similar.

"That is ideally the game that we want to play. We are going to try and play free for as long as possible, that is how the game will unfold and New Zealand will come out with the same mentality and it should be a good battle," he said.

Sivivatu gets injury boost

2011-06-22T08:37:00.000+12:00

Chiefs winger Sitiveni Sivivatu's hopes of making the All Blacks' rugby World Cup squad have received a boost after tests showed his shoulder injury is not as bad as first feared.

The 43-test All Black partially dislocated his left shoulder in the Chiefs' 19-11 defeat by the Reds in Hamilton on Saturday night, but an assessment by Chiefs medical staff yesterday allayed fears it was a season-ending injury.

"It is not as bad as we first thought. He subluxed his left shoulder on Saturday night so it was not fully dislocated.

"He has full range of movement and good strength in the affected shoulder and he is going to see an orthopaedic surgeon because it is the shoulder that was operated on last year. He's very unlikely to be out for any more than a couple of weeks," said Chiefs physiotherapist Paul Cameron.

- NZPA

Kids fear ABs will choke in final

2011-06-22T08:36:00.000+12:00

Thousands of New Zealand children believe the All Blacks will make the Rugby World Cup final - but more than half expect them to blow it once again when they get there.

An online educational survey, CensusAtSchool, predicted the All Blacks will be waiting yet another four years to get their hands on what has been their most elusive prize.

Eighty-three per cent of the young respondents expected the All Blacks to make the final on October 23, but only 41 per cent thought they would win it.

This is in contrast to their parents, who are optimistic the All Blacks will secure the Webb Ellis Cup for the first time since 1987.

World Cup - the percentages

**83pc think the All Blacks will make the RWC final
**41pc think the All Blacks will win
**35pc think South Africa will play the All Blacks in the final

A Herald/DigiPoll survey in January found that 70 per cent of adults thought the All Blacks would triumph.

A UMR poll in April found even more confidence, with 77 per cent of adults sure of a NZ victory.

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CensusAtSchool co-director Rachel Cunliffe, a University of Auckland-trained statistician, said the children's results were "a bit of a surprise".

"We had expected that as children and young people are often such ardent rugby fans, they would be talking the All Blacks right up."

Ms Cunliffe said the students' verdict was also remarkably consistent across geographical areas, age and sex.

Of the 83 per cent who thought the All Blacks would make the final, 35 per cent picked South Africa to be their opponents, ahead of the 30 per cent who chose Australia.

Of those predicting an All Black win in the final, 25 per cent picked a margin of fewer than five points.

Former All Black great Stu Wilson said the results were a surprise and also a bit disappointing.

"I saw over 100 kids of all ages running around in the mud on the North Shore on Saturday night and if you asked any one of them who will win the World Cup they would all say the All Blacks - that's a rugby environment," said Wilson.

"It's still in our DNA. I don't care what the league and netball or cricket people say, rugby is still our our number one sport ... It [the survey] surprises me and disappoints me, to be completely honest."

Wilson said the All Blacks had dominated the world rankings for the past decade, something the children surveyed might have missed.

"If their memory goes that far back and it reflects on their decision about whether the All Blacks can win or not, that's sad - they don't understand the world rankings and how good we are."

Veteran rugby commentator Keith Quinn said the results were intriguing and showed children's awareness of NZ's rugby history and the tag the All Blacks had possibly earned as chokers.

"They know their subject obviously and are aware that winning the Rugby World Cup is not ever a foregone conclusion," he said.

"I feel that the adult populace of New Zealand back in 1987 believed that the win over France in the first RWC was just affirmation of what we had felt for decades about how great New Zealand rugby consistently was ... and that we would go on to probably win it every four years."

Quinn thought South Africa should be favoured if they reach the final.

"The World Cup final has always been a grim, tough game, won by serious 'let's not lose' rugby," he said.

"South Africa with its big pack and tactically aware halfback and first-five are best at that sort of game, with excellent goalkicking and dropkicking experts too. They have won their only two finals by not scoring a try."

"Maybe the kids know that too?"

The survey ran in schools from Kaitaia to Invercargill in May and June and involved 24,000 students aged 8 to 17.

Source: NZ Herald

Henry unveils some World Cup plans

2011-06-14T21:13:00.001+12:00

Graham Henry has revealed some of his strategy for winning the Rugby World Cup.

Henry says the All Blacks will spend more time looking back at the history of the World Cup, something they didn't do in 2007.

He says they need to improve 15 per cent on where they were at last year.

Henry says there will be no wholesale resting during the Tri-Nations, but the back-ups to Dan Carter and Richie McCaw will be given opportunities to start.

He says players like McCaw, Colin Slade, Isaia Toeava, Israel Dagg, Daniel Braid and Tony Woodcock will have to play some ITM Cup.

- NEWSTALK ZB

New Zealand Under 20 team to play Wales

2011-06-14T21:10:00.000+12:00

New Zealand Under 20 Coach Mark Anscombe has named his team to play their second pool match of the 2011 IRB Junior World Championship against Wales early tomorrow (NZT) morning.

Anscombe has made several changes to his starting line-up, to share the workload over New Zealand’s pool matches. New Zealand won their opening match against hosts Italy 64-7. The team named to play Wales is:

1 Solomona Sakalia Wellington
2 Codie Taylor Canterbury
3 Ben Tameifuna Hawke’s Bay
4 Steven Luatua Auckland
5 Brodie Retallick Hawke’s Bay
6 Brad Shields Wellington
7 Sam Cane Bay of Plenty
8 Luke Whitelock, captain Canterbury
9 TJ Perenara Wellington
10 Gareth Anscombe Auckland
11 Charles Piutau Auckland
12 Lima Sopoaga Wellington
13 Rhys Llewellyn Canterbury
14 Waisake Naholo Taranaki
15 Beauden Barrett Taranaki

Reserves

16 Sefo Setefano Waikato
17 Michael Kainga Wellington
18 Dominic Bird Canterbury
19 Heiden Bedwell-Curtis Taranaki
20 Brad Weber Otago
21 Francis Saili Auckland
22 Glen Robertson Waikato

Anscombe said: “We are mindful that Wales are a very formidable side with strike power in the backs and a physical forward pack. Our boys have bounced back well from the Italy game and the team is looking forward to this week’s match.”

New Zealand is seeking its fourth IRB Junior World Championship title.

New Zealand’s three pool matches are as follows:

Date Fixture Venue Local time NZ Time
10 June NZ 64 v Italy 7 Treviso 8.10pm 6.10am
14 June v Wales Rovigo 6.10pm 4.10am
18 June v Argentina Padova 6.10pm 4.10am

The semifinals will be played on 22 June at Padova, and the Final will be played on 26 June, at Padova.

New Zealand’s pool matches, the semifinals and Final will be broadcast live on SKY Sport’s Rugby Channel.

Muliaina signs with Japanese club

2011-06-02T08:37:00.001+12:00

Veteran All Black Mils Muliaina has signed with a Japanese club, leaving New Zealand at the end of the season.

The 30-year-old and 94-test All Black has signed a two-year contract with NTT Docomo from next year.

"I consider myself to have been incredibly lucky with my career in New Zealand. Rugby has offered me so many wonderful opportunities and experiences that will stay with me forever. It's hard to single any one moment out but obviously winning Commonwealth Gold and the opportunity to captain my country were things I thought were only dreams when I was growing up," Muliaina said.

"But, once this season is over it will be time for something different. Japan itself offers a completely different culture and way of life that my entire family is looking forward to experiencing."

Muliaina made his provincial debut for Auckland in 1999, his Super 15 debut for the Blues in 2001 and his All Blacks debut against England in 2003 and has been the first-choice fullback since.

In 2004 he was the only player selected for every test and captained the All Blacks in three Tests in 2009.

He jointly holds the All Blacks test record of 94 with Richie McCaw and has scored 32 tries for 160 points, putting him eighth on the Test try-scoring list and 14th on the all-time Test points-scoring list.

All Blacks Coach Graham Henry has known Muliaina since he moved from Southland to Auckland as a schoolboy.

"Mils goes to Japan next year with the best wishes of everyone involved in the All Blacks. He is a special All Black; along with Richie McCaw our most capped Test player; an outstanding footballer who is the best in the world in his position," Henry said.

"Mils is a natural leader, he has tremendous respect of his peers and has helped considerably in the development of younger players. He has been a key member of the leadership group and has also captained the team when Richie has been injured. We will get the chance to thanks Mils personally for his contribution and commitment to the All Blacks later this year but for now, we congratulate him and wife Hayley on the next exciting adventure."

Muliaina played 49 games for the Blues before transferring to Waikato and the Chiefs in 2006 and played his 100th Super Rugby and 50th Chiefs match last month.

Muliaina also played for the New Zealand Sevens team from 1999 to 2002, winning a Commonwealth Games gold medal at the 2002 Manchester Games.

- HERALD ONLINE

New All Blacks Gear

2011-05-30T07:43:00.005+12:00

The new range of 2011 All Blacks rugby gear has just been released.

Featuring outstanding quality and attention to detail, this new 2011 All Blacks rugby gear will prove popular once again.

Be quick to grab your All Blacks rugby gear now at NZ All Blacks.net

McCaw facing his destiny

2011-05-30T07:40:00.001+12:00

The All Blacks have undergone a subtle but hugely significant change of mindset in their approach to this year's World Cup. Inspired by the normally phlegmatic Richie McCaw, the senior players have agreed that 2011 is their chance to make history - to write one of the greatest chapters in an already compelling story of success.

They will be driven by that goal, encouraged to embrace it, talk about it and own the dream. This is a World Cup to be embraced says McCaw; a World Cup to be enjoyed. A once in a lifetime opportunity for the All
Blacks win in their own backyard; to celebrate in front of their people and a global audience entranced by the warmth, energy and natural charms of New Zealand.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/rugby/news/article.cfm?c_id=80&objectid=10728852

Spin doctors for Hansen

2011-05-29T09:58:00.001+12:00

Steve Hansen has confirmed he wants to be the next All Blacks coach and that, for the past 18 months, he has been taking advice on how to improve his public image.

In an exclusive interview with New Zealand Rugby World to be published tomorrow, the current assistant reveals how he believes he is ready to succeed Graham Henry after the World Cup - and that he now has a small advisory group who have helped him improve his relationships with the media.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sport/news/article.cfm?c_id=4&objectid=10728725

Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Rugby (Ultimate Guide to Weight Training...)

2010-11-30T03:10:00.000+13:00

The Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Rugby is the most comprehensive and up-to-date rugby-specific training guide in the world today. It contains descriptions and photographs of over 80 of the most effective weight training, flexibility, and abdominal exercises used by athletes worldwide. This book features year-round rugby-specific weight-training programs guaranteed to improve your performance and get you results.

No other rugby book to date has been so well designed, so easy to use, and so committed to weight training. This book will increase the players power and quickness resulting in more effectiveness in rucks and mauls. By using this program, you will make considerable gains in your strength, agility, and stamina which will result in more success in scrums and have you competing strong until the final whistle.

Both beginners and advanced athletes and weight trainers can follow this book and utilize its programs. From recreational to professional, thousands of athletes all over the world are already benefiting from this book and its techniques, and now you can too!

As an added bonus, this book also contains links to free record keeping charts which normally sell separately for $20.

Price: $16.95

Click here to buy from Amazon

The unbeaten

2010-11-29T18:41:00.001+13:00

After dispatching Scotland and Ireland and defending a long unbeaten run against Wales this morning, the All Blacks are maintaining some of the longest unbeaten streaks in sport - 105 years unbeaten against the former two countries and 57 years against the latter. We look at 10 other remarkable sporting streaks.

1 Edwin Moses

The American remained invincible in the 400m hurdles for 122 consecutive races, including 107 finals, from September 2, 1977 in Dusseldorf until June 4, 1987 in Madrid when he lost to compatriot Danny Harris. His stretch between losses was exactly nine years, nine months and nine days... a curious quirk for the statistically-minded.

Moses cut an impressive figure bounding over the 10 three-foot high obstacles, especially in his early days, when donning a pair of chic tinted spectacles. He won two Olympic gold medals (1976 and 1984 while missing 1980 due to boycott) and set four world records.

2 Jahangir Khan

Khan won 555 straight squash matches between 1981 and 1986, thanks to a punishing training regime and uncompromising stamina which saw him wear out opponents in rallies of attrition.

The Pakistani was just 17 when the streak began. He was finally dispatched over four games by Kiwi Ross Norman in the final of the World Open in 1986 - the only time a Kiwi male has won that tournament.

Khan didn't follow a specific diet formulated to the last kilojoule but did have one stipulation... never missing two glasses of milk a day.

3 Cal Ripken Jnr

Ripken must hold the world record for the longest time spent going to work without requiring a sick note. The former shortstop and third baseman played 2,632 straight games for the Baltimore Orioles spanning 17 seasons from May 30, 1982 to September 20, 1998.

He took the record from the previous holder, New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig, who played 2130 in a row. He did it in style too, hitting a home run in the fourth inning. When the game was deemed official at the end of the top of the fifth inning, Ripken received a standing ovation from the crowd, estimated to have lasted 22 minutes.

Ripken also proved to be quite a wit. He was often paralleled with the Energiser bunny during his career. He quipped to an audience the pair had fallen out after the bunny was quoted as calling him a "quitter'' in a newspaper cartoon the day after Ripken voluntarily stood down a game to end the streak at the end of the 1998 season. The pair get on fine again now.

4 Ross Taylor

The Black Caps batsman is building one of the more peculiar test cricket records. At the end of the third test against India, Taylor had gone 51 innings in 28 tests without making a duck. South African AB de Villiers holds the record for a debutant - going 78 innings from his debut in December 2004 until he was stumped against Bangladesh in November 2008.

England's David Gower has the longest overall test run without a duck - 119 innings - from August 1982-December 1990. Glenn Turner had a run of 72 innings, which ended with his retirement. His only duck came in his debut knock against the West Indies at Eden Park in 1969.

5 Auckland rugby team

Auckland's 1985-93 Ranfurly Shield reign set the standard for professional rugby before its time. Auckland inspired awe and fury by the ease in which they cantered to victory. Evidence allegedly included John Kirwan having the wit and skill to tell a mulleted marker in one challenge to "get a haircut'' while fending him off on the way to the tryline.

Auckland defended the Log o' Wood 61 times before Waikato prised it away in September 1993. All Black greats like Kirwan, Grant Fox, Gary and Alan Whetton, Michael Jones, Joe Stanley, Sean Fitzpatrick and Zinzan Brooke made up the core of the team which kept the tenure alive.

Former midfielder Bernie McCahill provided perhaps the best example of Auckland's invincibility. He played 91 times for the union within the period - never in a losing team.

6 Sir Steven Redgrave

Redgrave's streak, winning a rowing gold medal in five consecutive Olympics, takes some beating for sheer longevity - and in such a gruelling sport. Over a period of 16 years from 1984-2000, in three different boat classes, Redgrave always crossed the line first when it came to Olympic finals.

At 38 he was perhaps best tested in the Sydney 2000 coxless four final after being diagnosed with diabetes and taking insulin since 1997. The result came after the crew had placed fourth at the Lucerne world cup just three months out from the Games. They had been unbeaten for three years previously.

7 Lance Armstrong

He might suffer from a case of "I'm a great cyclist, why don't you love me?'' but Lance Armstrong's Tour de France achievements cannot be questioned.

Anyone who can come back from an orchiectomy, the operation to remove a cancer-riddled testicle, deserves respect - especially when the cancer had spread to his brain and lungs. What's more, Armstrong recovered to win the 3500km ride around France seven consecutive times from 1999-2005. He proved he was still a top rider when he finished third in 2009 after retiring four years earlier (he could have won if eventual winner Alberto Contador wasn't also in his team).

He now spends his time twittering, fundraising for cancer research and fighting off perpetual allegations of doping.

8 Tiger Woods

This time last year the-artist-formerly-known-as-Eldrick had some trouble manoeuvring around in his SUV in the early morning and his wife tried to "help'' him. Woods' wholesome image might have been forever tainted but his records haven't. Jack Nicklaus is probably still the best golfer of all time but Woods' pedigree stands up to scrutiny.

In what was referred to as the "Tiger-slam'' he is still the only golfer to hold all four major titles in a row after winning the 2001 Masters. Until Y.E.Yang held on to beat him at the PGA Championship last year, he held a 14-0 record of winning when going into the final round of a major with the outright lead, or at least a share of it.

9 Brazilian football team

No international team can match the skill of Brazil when it comes to World Cup glory - or consistency. Brazil have won the tournament five times and appeared in all 19 episodes since their debut in Uruguay in 1930. They have had their lean spells, like not appearing in a final between the wins of 1970 and 1994. They also didn't win the tournament until 28 years after its inception.

The win in 1958 established them as a world power. Contrary to the perception as visionary, independent fun-loving types, that team was all about discipline. The players, including 17-year-old Pele at his first World Cup, were given a list of 40 things they couldn't do like smoking in official uniform and talking to the press outside allocated times.

The team even took their own psychologist to Sweden to help some team members get over being runners-up to neighbours Uruguay when Brazil hosted the tournament in 1950. They also took a dentist because a number of the team who came from humble origins suffered gum disease.

10 Rocky Marciano

He won't be remembered as the greatest boxer ever but Marciano's record of 49 straight professional wins remains, as does the moniker "the only undefeated heavyweight champion''.

Born Rocco Marchegiano, he changed his name early in his career because ring announcers struggled to get it out. Marciano didn't have any such struggles with his punches. He finished his career with 43 knock outs, thanks in part to his thunderous right, the Suzy Q. He used that punch to knock Jersey Joe Walcott unconscious in the 13th round when challenging for the heavyweight belt. He needed it - Walcott had knocked him down in the first round.

Marciano went on to defend his title six times over three-and-a-half years before retiring aged 32. He was renowned for displaying an enormous heart and a concrete chin. ESPN described him as "a ceaseless aggressor, a human tank who would gladly absorb two or three punches just for the opportunity of landing one''.

Marciano died in a plane crash in 1969, a day before his 46th birthday.

By Andrew Alderson | Email Andrew

View the original article here

A Game for Hooligans: The History of Rugby Union

2010-11-29T14:30:00.000+13:00

The rugby union has undergone immense change in the past two decades—introducing a World Cup, accepting professionalism, and creating a global market in players. This resource covers all of the great matches, teams, and players while also placing them in the context of the social, political, and economic changes which have affected the course of rugby's development. International in scope, this history includes not only Britain and France but also the great rugby powers of the southern hemisphere and other successful rugby nations, such as Argentina, Fiji, and Japan. Rich in anecdotes—including the story of why 1895 is the most important date in both the rugby union and rugby league history, allegations of devil worship at a Welsh rugby club, the game's contribution to the Cuban Revolution, and why the most fearsome of all New Zealand forwards was also a proficient knitter—this reference is a must-read for any fan of the oval ball.

Price: $18.95

Click here to buy from Amazon

Wynne Gray: Fatigue footy might not work in World Cup

2010-11-29T14:16:00.003+13:00

The All Blacks' battleplan is all about fatigue footy. They want to run their rivals into the ground and then administer the death sabre cuts.

It took until the last 10 minutes for that strategy to kick in yesterday in Cardiff as the tourists sealed their latest Grand Slam deal against Wales. Three Slams in three attempts for Graham Henry's men, can't do any better than that.

Sides north of the equator cannot cope with the relentless inquisition of ball movement, power and skills the All Blacks bring. A group of 13 have been on all three Slam trips, it is a rugged skilful core of talent.

The hosts in England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales have made progress, their styles have altered and it will be intriguing to see whether they continue to transfer those patterns to the Six Nations series.

It will also be fascinating to see whether the All Blacks persevere with their high-energy, multi-phase endurance template next season as the passport to World Cup redemption.

Or will they create a hybrid-style more suited to the demands of sudden-death World Cup matches and mid-evening weather patterns next October? Will their nerves hold in next year's big tournament as they did yesterday morning in Cardiff?

They are issues for a contented squad, one with a renewed belief in their ability after a season with one slip-up against the Convicts in Hong Kong. Annoying yes; that defeat was an irritating burr in their search for a world record run of test successes. But one less issue they have to worry about next year.

Most of the worries remain with their rivals, while the All Blacks have a growing player depth and range of styles they can ponder.

A World Cup boil needs to be lanced, but that tournament can be a lottery. Teams can get up for outrageous victories as France did against the All Blacks in 1999 or the Springboks completed in a Durban downpour four years earlier.

It is a tough gig but a much better task to contemplate than the many generations of Welsh who have not seen their side beat the All Blacks. They have seen footage, but nothing live and real since 1953.

The All Blacks will be on the frontline of favouritism for the World Cup, there is no avoiding that assessment. They might win, they might not. But they will give it a hell of a shake if they continue this year's form.

They will need to find the right balance in their work, standards which do not find them scoring tries as they did yesterday on that plasticine pitch in Cardiff, yet only just in the lead in the last 10 minutes after conceding six Stephen Jones' penalty successes.

The All Blacks are finding new cattle and class. Some will need to be culled in decisions which will tug hardest at the emotions of the selection group. Those in danger will be men such as Joe Rokocoko, Tom Donnelly and Stephen Donald - blokes who have given good (sometimes great) service but are being overtaken by time or the new breed in black.

Of that new breed, Hosea Gear, who was damaged almost before the anthems melted into the Cardiff stratosphere but recovered to claim two tries, put another huge tick in the selectors' notebooks. A few years ago his play was brittle. His attack was great, his defence and positional work much lower on the stats sheet.

This tour, his standards have been on the rise. So too Sam Whitelock, the shaggy-haired lock and third rugby talent from the same family. It is not quite father and son stuff, but Brad Thorn and Whitelock present a fascinating combination of experience and zest.

Whitelock is surging and even if Ali Williams makes a decent job of his return to rugby, he has work ahead of him to catch and claim the hirsute Cantab. Settling on deputies for Richie McCaw and Daniel Carter remains an open debate, just the sort to give extra bite to the new Super series.

For now though, the season is done; the All Blacks' results and performances from this year have erased much of the apprehension from the 2009 season.

By Wynne Gray | Email Wynne Great summary. Have they not found the new captain in Read?ReplyLike You like this Report

View the original article here

All Blacks vs Ireland

2010-11-16T15:23:00.003+13:00

The All Blacks play Ireland on Saturday. Can the Irish put up a better performance than what the Scots did?

Ireland have never beaten the All Blacks in their 23 test match history. Only coming close in 1973 with a 10-all draw.

History shows that the All Blacks will be too strong. The Irish are playing up their chances - well so did Scotland.

Good luck to them (but not too much Irish luck!).

Go the All Blacks.

Live game statistics and coverage available at http://nzallblacks.net

Five changes to the All Blacks team to face Australia

2010-09-09T08:29:00.002+12:00

The team for the 11 September test match against Australia has been named.

15. Mils Muliaina, 14. Cory Jane, 13. Conrad Smith, 12. Ma'a Nonu, 11. Israel Dagg, 10. Aaron Cruden, 9. Piri Weepu, 8. Kieran Read, 7. Richie McCaw (capt) , 6. Victor Vito, 5. Tom Donnelly, 4. Brad Thorn, 3. Owen Franks, 2. Keven Mealamu, 1. Tony Woodcock. Reserves: Corey Flynn, John Afoa, Anthony Boric, Jerome Kaino, Jimmy Cowan, Colin Slade, Rene Ranger.

More details and news at http://www.nzallblacks.net

All Blacks win!

2010-08-22T04:50:00.002+12:00

The All Blacks win the Tri Nations with a last minute try against South Africa. Final score - 29 points to 22.

Full match statistics available at http://www.nzallblacks.net

All Blacks Win Again!

2010-08-07T21:20:00.002+12:00

The All Blacks have beaten the Australians at Christchurch 20 points to 10.

All Blacks team to play Australia 7 August has been named

2010-08-03T13:40:00.002+12:00

The team for the 7 August 2010 test match against Australia is as follows:

Mils Muliaina, Cory Jane, Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Joe Rokocoko, Dan Carter, Piri Weepu, Kieran Read, Richie McCaw (captain), Jerome Kaino, Tom Donnelly, Brad Thorn, Owen Franks, Keven Mealamu, Tony Woodcock.

Reserves:
Corey Flynn, Ben Franks, Sam Whitelock, Victor Vito, Alby Mathewson, Aaron Cruden, Benson Stanley.

Full test match statistics and live scoring available at http://www.nzallblacks.net

Team to play Australia has been named

2010-07-27T17:30:00.001+12:00

The team for the 31 July 2010 test match against Australia is as follows:

Mils Muliaina, Cory Jane, Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Joe Rokocoko, Dan Carter, Jimmy Cowan, Kieran Read, Richie McCaw (captain), Jerome Kaino, Tom Donnelly, Brad Thorn, Owen Franks, Keven Mealamu, Tony Woodcock.

Reserves: Corey Flynn, Ben Franks, Sam Whitelock, Victor Vito, Piri Weepu, Aaron Cruden, Israel Dagg

Do You Support The All Blacks?

2010-07-11T08:28:00.004+12:00

Are you a huge fan of the All Blacks? Visit the "I Support The All Blacks" Facebook site and share your support messages and news to over 500 million users on Facebook.

Visit Facebook now!

All Blacks Win!

2010-07-10T21:17:00.003+12:00

All Blacks dominated the South African team winning by 32 points to 12 at Eden Park in Auckland.

Full game statistics are available at http://www.nzallblacks.net

All Blacks team named for South Africa test match

2010-07-06T20:58:00.001+12:00

Mils Muliaina, Cory Jane, Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Joe Rokocoko, Dan Carter, Jimmy Cowan, Kieran Read, Richie McCaw (capt.), Jerome Kaino, Tom Donnelly, Brad Thorn, Owen Franks, Keven Mealamu, Tony Woodcock.

RESERVES: Corey Flynn, Ben Franks, Samuel Whitelock, Liam Messam, Piri Weepu, Aaron Cruden, Richard Kahui.

Live scoring for the game on Saturday will be available at http://www.nzallblacks.net

Live scoring All Blacks vs Wales

2010-06-19T17:05:00.001+12:00

Don't forget that live scoring for the All Blacks vs Wales test match will be available here at http://www.nzallblacks.net

All Blacks team announced for Wales game

2010-06-15T21:49:00.003+12:00

The All Blacks team has been announced to play Wales in Dunedin on Saturday.

The team is:

Israel Dagg, Cory Jane, Conrad Smith, Benson Stanley, Joe Rokocoko, Dan Carter, Jimmy Cowan, Kieran Read, Richie McCaw (captain), Victor Vito, Anthony Boric, Brad Thorn, Owen Franks, Keven Mealamu, Ben Franks.

Reserves: Aled de Malmanche, Tony Woodcock, Sam Whitelock, Adam Thomson, Piri Weepu, Aaron Cruden, Richard Kahui.

More details at http://www.nzallblacks.net

All Blacks record stays intact

2010-06-13T11:21:00.001+12:00

The All Blacks dominance over Ireland remains after a 66 points to 28 win in New Plymouth on Saturday. Yay!

Team announced for Ireland test match

2010-06-08T13:26:00.003+12:00

The All Blacks team to face Ireland in New Plymouth has been named:

Israel Dagg, Cory Jane, Conrad Smith, Benson Stanley, Joe Rokocoko, Dan Carter, Jimmy Cowan, Kieran Read, Richie McCaw (captain), Jerome Kaino, Anthony Boric, Brad Thorn, Owen Franks, Keven Mealamu, Ben Franks.

Reserves: Aled de Malmanche, Neemia Tialata, Sam Whitelock, Victor Vito, Piri Weepu, Aaron Cruden, Zac Guildford.

All Blacks arrive in New Plymouth

2010-06-07T08:13:00.005+12:00

The All Blacks team to face the Irish arrived in New Plymouth on Sunday. All was going great until it was time to leave - they forgot Piri Weepu. He was left stranded at the airport! Luckily it was Mayor Pete to the rescue. And luckily he knew which hotel they were staying at - his!

Has New Zealand Rugby Lost It's Spark?

2010-05-23T17:49:00.002+12:00

It seems, from watching the Super 14 games this year, that the New Zealand teams seem to have lost their edge and spark. Watching the Crusaders play the Bulls this morning, I found that the Crusaders made far too many mistakes and didn't have an answer to the Bulls, which for my money, have been the team to beat all season.

Are we lacking motivation, are the top players being paid too much (or too little), is there any incentive to strap on the boots apart from the money? Where is the pride and passion that we are used to seeing?

Have the top players played too many games for too many years?The NZRFU have decided in all their wisdom that there are too many tests and that after the Rugby World Cup, there will be fewer tests. Wow! After years and years of people saying that there are too many games, the NZRFU have finally come to realise this and are finally coming to the realisation that it's not all about the money, but the countries pride.

Let's hope that the lack of inspirational play from the New Zealand teams is just a lull before the storm at the Rugby World Cup. Here's hoping!

2010 All Blacks team

2010-05-22T17:05:00.001+12:00

The 2010 All Blacks team will be announced on Sunday 30th of May. Stay tuned - all the selections will be posted right here when they become available.

New RWC Ad campaign?

2010-04-01T21:36:00.001+13:00

Yes it is about rugby - watch it all the way through.

New season brings new websites

2010-02-25T16:24:00.002+13:00

Hello for 2010. The start of the All Blacks season is coming up fast. Most of the All Blacks are now playing in the Super 14 competition to gear themselves up for another punishing year.

I have decided to create some new websites to allow maximum exposure to the All Blacks and rugby brand in general. These sites will be dedicated to bring you, the rugby supporters, high quality products at good prices.

The two new websites are as follows:

New Zealand Rugby - http://www.new-zealand-rugby.com
Rugby Jerseys - http://www.rugbyjerseys.co.nz

Both websites are packed full of rugby jerseys, rugby shirts and rugby merchandise in the lines of the All Blacks, Super 14, Rugby Girl, Aroha Clothing and of course the Rugby World Cup range.

I hope you will enjoy these sites.

That's it for the year

2009-12-08T07:49:00.005+13:00

Image via Wikipedia

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.

Final test...best performance by far!

2009-11-30T08:14:00.004+13:00

The All Blacks played France on Saturday 28th of November and finally showed what being an All Black is all about. The All Blacks won 39 - 12.

The handbrake was finally let go as the All Blacks showed what the critics and the rugby fans wanted to see - TRIES! And they were good quality tries too. At times, it looked like a vintage All Blacks team with passes sticking, players finding the gaps and wingers that actually looked fast. The scrums were under pressure again but it went both ways. One scrum resulting in an All Blacks try.

Sitiveni Sivivatu once again showed his speed off the mark, waltzing through the French defence and with a bit of slight of hand, allowed Mils Muliaina over for a try.

In the forwards, big bad Brad Thorn played over 1000 minutes for the the All Blacks this year. That man is a machine! Another bug performance from the big man.

And again, it is congratulations to Richie McCaw for taking out the IRB player of the year. Well deserved yet again.

One final game this year for the All Blacks. Not a test match but a big game none the less, against a Barbarians side. If the All Blacks play like they did against France, then the Barbarians have got a lot of work to do to match or even better a side that looked the goods...and then some.

All Blacks looked dangerous

2009-11-22T16:57:00.005+13:00

The All Blacks played England on Saturday and the All Blacks won 19 points to 6.

Firstly, I must say that Jonathan Kaplan the ref made a good job policing the whole game. He was in control from start to finish but was not in the limelight like Stuart Dickinson last week.

The All Blacks were looking dangerous at times especially Sitiveni Sivivatu, who constantly ran past the England players like they were standing still. I think the English were concentrating too much on Dan Carter and totally forgot about all the other players. Not a wise move.

It was boring to see the same old England tactics came out. The ball very rarely got out to the wings. Jonny Wilkinson needs to learn how to run the ball and not try to drop kick the thing out of the park. One bad example of this was when England were on attack in the 22 meters and they had numbers out to the left. The ball got to Jonny and he decided to try a drop goal which, of course, totally missed. So all the hard work that was done, ended up as nothing. Jonny needs to hang up his rugby boots and start a career in soccer.

The All Blacks looked good when they ran the ball, especially Mils Muliaina and Sitiveni Sivivatu. Richie McCaw had another great game. How does he keep going and going. Check that man for Energizer Batteries please!

This game was a good warm up to the clash against France next week. It is always a mystery as to what game the French will bring. But you can count on an entertaining match.

And the best part about the game, it will be shown at 8:45am on Sunday morning here rather than the aweful 3:30am starts that we have had to cope with recently. Yay for sleep ins!

And remember, please visit the #1 All Blacks Rugby Fan site for all the latest news and views about the All Blacks. You can find All Blacks rugby shirts jerseys and everything else at the All Blacks shop.

All Blacks team named

2009-11-19T08:25:00.004+13:00

The All Blacks team has been named for the test match against England on Saturday 21 November.

Mils Muliaina, Zac Guildford, Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Dan Carter, Jimmy Cowan, Kieran Read, Richie McCaw (captain), Adam Thomson, Tom Donnelly, Brad Thorn, Owen Franks, Andrew Hore, Tony Woodcock.

Reserves: Corey Flynn/Aled de Malmanche, John Afoa, Anthony Boric, Jerome Kaino, Andy Ellis, Stephen Donald, Tamati Ellison.

It is great to see that Owen Franks and Zac Guildford are getting starting roles in the test. This may spark the established members of the team to "pull finger" and produce what the All Blacks fans want - a true All Blacks performance.

Second-stringers do the job

2009-11-15T08:54:00.004+13:00

A second-string All Blacks side met the Italy team at the famous Stadio Giuseppe Meazza stadium, or more commonly referred to as San Siro. The All Blacks won 20 points to 6.

Now, let me put things straight first. Graham Henry and the team will probably debate that this is not an All Blacks 'B' team that played Italy. Well, the simple fact, it was. The stars of All Blacks rugby were not out to play, instead probably relaxing somewhere in Milan surrounded by beautiful people. It is strange, the NZRFU get their panties in a twist when visiting sides send a second string side down-under, and yet when the All Blacks go overseas, and play teams like Italy, we play a 'B' team to 'protect' our top players. This shows a lack of respect and arrogance really to the host team.

80,000+ people in the San Siro stadium paid good money to see a top All Blacks team, not a team of 'nearly theres'. No disrespect to the All Blacks team, but this is what it seemed to be from watching the build up to the game and the game itself. Come on the NZRFU and the coaches - give some respect to the opposition team.

Anyway, the game was a very stop, start affair with plenty of penalties and way too many reset scrums. The last 6 minutes of the game was reset scrum after reset scrum - that was it. How boring was that! The game really didn't live up to any great heights as a whole unfortunately. A shame, as the stadium crowd was superb and the atmosphere seemed electric.

I wonder if we will produce a second-string side for the game against England - yeah right!

Brilliant debut for Zac Guildford

2009-11-08T08:13:00.002+13:00

The All Blacks first test match for their end of year tour was against Wales.

Zac Guildford was making his test debut and he played like a plyer with 50 test match experience. He was not shy about taking the high balls, made some telling runs and was there to make the try for Andrew Hore.

Dan Carter showed is mongrel by taking to a Wales player with a high shot that the ground replays kept showing, and showing and showing. From then on, when Dan Carter was shown on the big screen, boos rang out over Millennium Stadium. I suppose anything to keep the crowd entertained.

Wales nearly made it a draw but the big lock ran out of puff after the 50m line and was mown down by, you guessed it, Zac Guildford. Go Zac.

It was refreshing to see a northern hemisphere team actually running the ball and not just pass and kick. Let's hope that all the other games will be as entertaining as this one was.

The teams have been named

2009-11-05T22:08:00.002+13:00

The teams for the All Blacks vs Wales match have been named.

All Blacks
Mils Muliaina, Cory Jane, Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Zac Guildford, Dan Carter, Brendon Leonard, Kieran Read, Richie McCaw (captain), Jerome Kaino, Jason Eaton, Brad Thorn, Neemia Tialata, Andrew Hore, Wyatt Crockett.

Reserves: Corey Flynn, Owen Franks, Tom Donnelly, Adam Thomson, Jimmy Cowan, Stephen Donald, Ben Smith.

Wales
James Hook, Leigh Halfpenny, Tom Shanklin, Jamie Roberts, Shane Williams, Stephen Jones, Gareth Cooper, Ryan Jones (captain), Martyn Williams, Andy Powell, Luke Charteris, Alun Wyn Jones, Paul James, Matthew Rees, Gethin Jenkins.

Reserves: Huw Bennett, Duncan Jones, Bradley Davies, Dafydd Jones, Martin Roberts, Jonathan Davies, Tom James.

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Master the basic skills of rugby and become a skillful rugby player

2009-11-04T17:47:00.002+13:00

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Learn how to master the basic skills of rugby that will have you go from rugby zero to rugby hero in as little as 8 weeks.

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Too much attention and not enough concentration?

2009-10-29T11:29:00.002+13:00

I hope that the amount of attention that the ALL BLACKS have been receiving over in Tokyo, has not over-shadowed the fact that a test match against Australia is on Saturday.

Don't get me wrong, it is great to see that the All Blacks are very well received. I am just a bit concerned that their focus is on the glamour not the rugby. There will be a bit of time for all of that AFTER they win the game on Saturday - I hope.

All Blacks side named for Tokyo test

2009-10-29T11:27:00.001+13:00

Tokyo, 9.30pm Saturday

ALL BLACKS
Mils Muliaina
Cory Jane
Conrad Smith
Ma'a Nonu
Sitivenu Sivivatu
Daniel Carter
Jimmy Cowan
Rodney So'oialo
Richie McCaw (c)
Adam Thomson
Tom Donnelly
Brad Thorn
Neemia Tialata
Andrew Hore
Tony Woodcock

AUSTRALIA
A. Ashley-Cooper
Peter Hynes
Ryan Cross
Berrick Barnes
Digby Ioane
Matt Giteau
Will Genia
Wycliff Palu
David Pocock
Rocky Elsom (c)
Mark Chisholm
James Horwill
Ben Alexander
Tatafu Polota-Nau
Benn Robinson

Coach shuffle to the left

2009-10-18T15:57:00.002+13:00

It seems that Graham Henry was not too impressed by the quality of forward play and has now taken up the reigns to see if he can do any better.

Graham Henry will take responsibility as the forwards coach, Steve Hansen will become the attack coach and Wayne Smith will be defensive coach.

I am wondering if Graham, like the rest of the dedicated rugby public, was waiting on the much anticipated improvements to the forward ethic and play, which seems, did not eventuate. And tired of hearing the endless critisms of the lineouts, will Graham be the light at the end of the very long tunnel.

My take on the lineouts is this. Throw the ball in quicker! Don't wait for the opposition to get settled, make a decision BEFORE you get to the lineout who will take the ball, and go from there. I know, it may not be that easy, but anything is better than what we experienced during this past year.

All we want to see if a big improvement and the All Blacks actually winning their own lineouts (for a change).

Go the ALL BLACKS!

All Blacks team for end of year tour

2009-10-18T15:55:00.002+13:00

The All Blacks team for the end of year Northern Hemisphere tour has been announced.

The team is as follows:

John Afoa, Anthony Boric, Dan Carter, Jimmy Cowan, Wyatt Crockett, Mike Delany, Stephen Donald, Tom Donnelly, Jason Eaton, Andy Ellis, Tamati Ellison, Corey Flynn, Owen Franks, Zac Guildford, Andrew Hore, Cory Jane, Jerome Kaino, Tanerau Latimer, Brendon Leonard, Luke McAlister, Richie McCaw (c), Liam Messam, Mils Muliaina, Ma'a Nonu, Kieran Read, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Ben Smith, Conrad Smith, Rodney So'oialo, Adam Thomson, Brad Thorn, Neemia Tialata, Tony Woodcock
Missing from the team are Josevata Rokocoko, Hosea Gear, Aled de Malmanche and Isaac Ross.

Yippee! It all came together on the night

2009-09-20T20:14:00.004+12:00

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Great stuff! The All Blacks rose to the occasion and proved all their critics wrong and came out with a crunching win over the Wallabies in Wellington on Saturday night. Final score 33 points to 6.

The Wallablies coach, Dingo Deans, must be wondering what on earth can he do to beat the All Blacks. After all, his team did beat the South Africans only 2 weeks ago, while the All Blacks could only hang their head in shame after their defeat.

The All Blacks looked like the All Blacks of old that we know and love. They held onto the ball and showed dominance in every aspect of the game, even the lineouts! I know!

I think it came down to ball in hand. No more of these silly tactics of gaining possesion and then deciding to kick the ball in no particular direction hoping that a mistake from the opposition will come. That tactic did not work in all the Tri-Nations games and some one finally siad "hey, let's not kick the ball to the opposition, let's hold onto it so they can't get it!". Magic. There is a place in the game for precise kicking and that is what we had on show from Daniel Carter. And to show that the crowd knew a bad kick when they saw one, when Jimmy Cowan decided to kick a ball when they had men over, and the kick ended up in the Wallabies hands, a groan was heard from the crowd.

It was a positive way to end the Tri-Nations after a very ugly All Blacks season. Let's hope we have turned the corner and from now on, we will see a huge improvement from the men in black.

Did it hit a nerve?

2009-09-17T10:49:00.003+12:00

Steve Hansen, All Blacks forward coach, has come out swinging at the critics about the dismal display at the lineouts.

Hansen said "So my job is not about listening to those people, my job is about making sure we stay on task and do the job well, so there is no point in me getting concerned." Umm, do the job well...I wonder when that will be?

I think Hansen should be pleased that there are people out there talking about the lineouts. I would be very concerned as a coach if no one cared about our national game. People are pastionate about the game, more so than the players and coaches it seems at the moment. Yes, that may be harsh but as the viewing public, this is what we see and what comes across. At the end of the day, they still get paid - win or lose. But what the rugby public want to see is good hard, tough and accurate rugby that we excell at. The team I have seen so far this year is far from it.

It is also disturbing to think that we only have one lineout forward capable of winning lineouts - Ali Williams. Issac Ross was a very good replacement and has worked very well so dropping him was a strange move. Mentally strained? If that's the case, more games are needed for him to be mentally stronger not sitting on the sidelines.

This lack of form may be a good thing though. No, I haven't gone crazy. Think about it. The All Blacks usually peak well before the rugby world cup. South Africa are currently on top and are the best team in the world (gulp!). We have work to do to get back up there but if winning the rugby world cup is the aim, let's hope we get it right then rather than now.

As I heard on the news one day, that the All Blacks are a brand name now and not a rugby team. This is very true and very disappointing. Rather than playing for the jersey and the country, it all comes back to how much the NZRFU will receive as a payback for marketing the All Blacks brand. Look what the NZRFU are trying to do with the Air New Zealand Cup. Why keep changing the best provincial tournament, it seems, every year. It's the same with the IRB and changing the rules and sanitising the game of rugby.

The All Blacks play Australia on Saturday in Wellington. Go the All Blacks.

Strange question of the day....

2009-09-14T07:46:00.005+12:00

OK, with rucking a thing of the past in rugby (but in my opinion it should be brought back so people lying over ball are cleared quickly), why do they keep on calling a ruck a ruck? The word ruck is meaningless without the physical act of rucking! The IRB might as well call it a pile-up or a tiddly-winks pile-up or something.

It was interesting to here from the IRB chairman about rucking. He stated some people like it some people don't. Who are these people that they asked? Some stuffy-shirt that sits behind a desk all day and makes all these stupid new rugby rules up or the real man and woman on the street. Why not conduct a world wide rugby poll and see what the people think? I know, I know, asking the fans what they want from the game of rugby is a bit far fetched, even though we are the ones paying the big bucks to go and see these games.

A little bit more consultancy with the rugby public may stop the people from turning away from rugby and onto league for example. A poll eveyr so often about an aspect of the game would go a long way to help getting these matters resolved.

Open letter to Graham Henry and the All Blacks

2009-09-08T13:38:00.002+12:00

Here is an email I received from a very concerned All Blacks supporter. It is directed at Graham Henry and the way the All Blacks have lost the pride and passion for the black jersey...

"To Graham Henry and the ALL-BLACKS,

I watched one and only one of your training tapes on the All-Black official web site and I have to say I was very disappointed. For god’s sake get some pride and passion back boys.

It is and should always be an honour to represent your country and not about how much money you can get, for this privilege!

You must chase the tries, because if you don’t we will lose the Tri-Nations cup and I never thought I would say this you will lose my respect and I have supported you for over 43 years.

Nothing fancy just get back to the basics of rugby, learn to change tactics and keep the opposition guessing, the best game I watched this year was the first game in South Africa at altitude, you guys were awesome, and I thought we were going to win the second test but no Graham stuffed up and instead of sticking with a combination that worked he changed it and we lost!

This is your chance as a team to prove you are worthy of the Black jumper and worthy to perform the HAKA! Do it for your country, but most of all do it for YOURSELVES!

Vince Collie
Personal Trainer"

Strange attitude or sensible approach?

2009-09-08T07:43:00.002+12:00

Graham Henry has stated in an interview that they will not be chasing the 4 tries against South Africa and sticking to their game plan. Hold on...I thought the whole idea of rugby is to score more tries than the opposition and thus getting more points on the board and thus winning the game.

I hope Graham hasn't fallen into the northern hemisphere way of thinking that drop goals and penalties is the way to win matches. They may help, but tries are the order of the day.

I'd rather see a game where the scoreboard goes up in 5's or 7's rather than in multiples of 3!

Good luck in Hamilton. Let's hope that tries will come thick and fast..for the All Blacks that is.

Returning All Blacks make the difference

2009-08-31T08:07:00.003+12:00

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Each side had three All Blacks returning to the Air New Zealand Cup but there was only one team it all game.

Canterbury played Wellington for the Ranfurly Shield on Saturday and it was a one sided affair. Canterbury dominated in every aspect of the game with the help of Dan Carter, Richie McCaw and Brad Thorn. Canterbury won 36 points to 14.

Wellington did not have an answer to the strength of a determined Canterbury onslaught to retain the shield. Wellington have struggled throughout the Air New Zealand Cup and Saturday was no exception. It would have been nice to see a closer contest but it was the class of Canterbury that shone through.

So well done Canterbury. Maybe next time for Wellington.

Alternative Commentary All Blacks vs Australia 22 August 2009

2009-08-25T07:56:00.000+12:00

More alternative rugby commentary for the All Blacks against Australia.

Source: Alternative Rugby Commentary - http://www.arcrugby.co.nz/

He made all the difference

2009-08-24T14:12:00.007+12:00

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Yep, Dan Carter made all the difference in the win against the Aussies on Saturday. His kicking was spot on and his skills around the field were like had had never left the game.

Compare his game to Stephen Donald. As soon as Stephen came on, he started the usual "let's kick the ball in the air and see what happens" routine. IT DOESN'T WORK! Stop doing that. It just gives the ball away to the opposition. Graham Henry should have a quiet word in his ear and tell him that if he does that type of kicking again, he's going to get a jolly good clip around the ears... :(

The game on a whole was not the All Blacks best, but they did grind out a win. The Aussies must be thinking that an All Blacks side that is not playing at 100% can still beat them. Poor ol' Dingo Deans must be feeling a bit crook at the moment. And it only gets worse for him with the South Africans in town next weekend. Poor him.

The big 'DC' is back!

2009-08-19T13:50:00.003+12:00

Daniel Carter has been selected in the All Blacks team to play against Australia on Saturday 22nd August. It will be great to see him back in black where he belongs after his lay off due to injury and his short term overseas "break".

The All Blacks team is as follows:

Mils Muliaina, Joe Rokocoko, Conrad Smith, Luke McAlister, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Daniel Carter, Jimmy Cowan, Kieran Read, Richie McCaw (captain), Jerome Kaino, Isaac Ross, Brad Thorn, Owen Franks, Andrew Hore, Tony Woodcock.

Reserves: Aled de Malmanche, John Afoa, Jason Eaton, Rodney So'oialo, Brendon Leonard, Stephen Donald, Ma'a Nonu.

Alternative Commentary Test Number 3

2009-08-13T08:10:00.002+12:00

More alternative rugby commentary for the All Blacks second test against the South Africans.

Source: Alternative Rugby Commentary - http://www.arcrugby.co.nz/

Dan Carter is back in black

2009-08-11T07:45:00.003+12:00

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Wisely, and not suprisingly, Dan Carter is back in the black jersey. Even though one man can't win a test, his influence, skill, leadership and vision of the game will help the team "click" and we will start to see what the real All Blacks are made of.

No pressure Dan!

The broad sholders of Captain Richie

2009-08-07T15:42:00.006+12:00

After reading this article in the New Zealand Herald: click here - I had two reactions:

Image by Steve Punter via Flickr

Very honest. Well done stating the obvious that our lineouts are not up to scratch. At least someone had the guts to come right out and say it!
What do they do at rugby practice? The coaches get paid all that cash and this is the result!

I don't know what to think really. At least Richie McCaw realises that there is a problem and hopefully they can sort something out in the next couple weeks, ahead of the Aussies.

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The Alternative Rugby Commentary

2009-08-05T08:42:00.006+12:00

If you are looking at alternative commentary with a bit of humour thrown in, take a look at these highlights from the first test All Blacks vs South Africa on the 25th of July 2009. Kids, you may have to block your little ears as there is a little bit of swearing in these videos, but it's all in good humour.

Source: Alternative Rugby Commentary - www.arcrugby.co.nz

Welcome but straight into it

2009-08-04T11:06:00.012+12:00

After a few years absence of writing a game by game review of the All Blacks performances, I am back with my words of "wisdom", views from the sidelines (or the couch mostly) and my general ranting and raving about the rugby team, the refs (!) and anything rugby related really.

Enough of the introduction, let's get straight into it.

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The current All Blacks team - hmmm, where does one start? I could start at the top with Graham Henry. I will let you all know now, I was in support of Graham retaining the top spot as coach of the All Blacks. The NZRFU and the rugby public have this obsession of turfing someone out as soon as he loses a few matches. Yes, yes, I know it was the Rugby World Cup but look at his record. Compare that to the coach of England in the lead up to their Rugby World Cup win. It was shocking. If he was a NZ coach, his days would have been numbered long before the RWC started. We need some continuity in the game. Graham did introduce the rotation policy which I did not like. It didn't work too well but at least he tried it. Everyone would have been singing his praises if it worked and we won the world cup.

Graham does need to take some responsibility for the way the All Blacks have been playing of late. With it seems one game plan only per game, the players are more than likely doing what they have been instructed to do. But the calibre of top class players we have in the team, they should be able to think on their feet if a game plan does not work. But they don't so we lose games.

Now onto the players. I am starting at the number 9 position. I still believe that Piri Weepu is

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

our top number 9. I do not know why the coaches still bring him on as an impact player. If he is so good why not start him. Jimmy Cowan is not up to test match standard as a starting number 9. Swap roles and bring him on in the second half and let Piri Weepu run the game from the beginning. Without a decisive number 10 controlling the play, we need someone who can see what is going on and have the experience to go through with it.

Which naturally leads me to the number 10 position. Stephen Donald is a good player but at number 10, he should be reading the game and telling the other players around him what to do. And stop all the aimless kicking of the damn ball (that is not soley directed at Stephen). After watching past test matches where Daniel Carter would kick the ball into the corners and then attack from there, this is what we are dearly missing from the current tribe of individuals. Some structure and "thinking rugby" and not all this 'let's kick the ball and see what happens" tactic. It does not work!

Constant pressure is what is missing from this All Blacks team. The days of the All Blacks having 70-80% possesion and territory have gone because we are under the illusion that with the new rules, territory and possesion don't count for anything. The All Blacks need to go back to the basics of rugby and not throw it out left, right and centre hoping that holes will appear - they won't. It's all down to pressure of the opposition. That is why the South African team is so good - it comes down to pressure in the lineout, kicks, scrums, rucks - everything really. Something that the All Blacks were once good at.

Phew! Heavy stuff right from the start. I needed to offload this and get it out in the open.

Let's hope that a three week break will help the All Blacks get their heads around what they need to do to actually win games. Don't blame the refs, don't blame the coaches (to some extent), but look at the players themselves.

Image via Wikipedia

Even though the coaching staff are trying to play it cool when it comes to getting Daniel Carter back in the All Blacks, stating that we will have a look at him playing in the Air New Zealand Cup and then we will decide. We all know full well that they can't wait to get him back. I know he is only one man but if he can dictate play then the All Blacks will win games. Fact!

But one positive coming from these losses (yes there is one), is that the All Blacks are not peaking too early for the Rugby World Cup in 2011. Maybe the South Africans and the Australians will burn themselves out before then. Here's hoping.

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