2007 Rugby World Cup

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World Cup - Competition or Coronation for the All Black Favourites?

Written by Jackarooney on

From: jreeslancaster.blogspot.com

On the face of the amazing run of success that the New Zealand All Blacks have won over the last 3 years, many in the Sports Media have claimed this World Cup would be a walk over for the men in black.

What people fail to wake up and realise is that in this competition, every team raises their game - none more so than the Australian Wallabies, who have been champs twice.

Yet when you take a look at the world rankings over the past 4 years, the All Blacks are consistently 1st.
So doesn't that suggest in the scheme of things that statistically they already are champs...?

I guess it's all about success on the given day and the mental toughness to "guts it out".
Just look at the 2003 World Champs. England had the best camaraderie and sense of purpose but not the best players overall.

Over the past 20 years it has been the All Blacks that have dominated the top spot but won only the 1987 competition. This has got to be due to complacency.
Choking on the big day? Jonah Lomu doesn't think so.
He claims that when the All Blacks were beaten, it was because they were well beaten, not because they choked at crunch time.

When formerly undefeated world heavyweight marauder Attila the Hun was beaten at the Battle of Chalons by the Roman and Visigothic Armies under command of Aetius in the 5thC AD, history didn't accuse him of having an "off day"!

"Oh Attila yeah, well he just wasn't in the zone today what with the pressure of destroying the Roman Empire and setting up an age of savagery and darkness n' stuff. Guess he choked..."

Pressure? Well what All Black team doesn't run into the Stadium's arena without the pressure of knowing the NZ public expects them to win and win well? And that's not even in a world cup!

So for those of you certain that they will again fail this time, here is my take...

Have faith in Coach Graham Henry. Remember the second half of the Bledisloe cup match when it was like a new team ran out.
New Tactics. Relentless physicality. Clinical execution.

Don't be afraid my friend for I say unto thee, that the All Blacks will "Become the Destroyer Of Worlds" in this World Cup.
A cup which will runneth over with tries a plenty played not in the dour spoiling fashion of the current holders of the crown.

Henry has been so careful to send mixed messages to oppositions. In the Tri-Nations the ABs won every game by playing poorly by their own lofty standards, then in the last 40 minutes they played completely differently - much more like Vs France in Nov 2006.

Is it all a bluff?Will Henry force his hand or just show glimpses unil the quarter finals?
Then we will truly see if the All Blacks "always peak too soon". We saw a statement of intent vs Italy three weeks ago and little else since. It will be the quarters when we see the true mettle and the strength of rotation and conditioning.
So leave the mind games up to the others. Leave the talking for on the field.
ACTA NON VERBA as the Romans would have said.

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