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“How do we become New Zealand? How do we get to the point where we can claim to be the best and no one dares question it afterward?” Two questiosn the rugby world wants to know.
What New Zealand has is what everyone wants. With plenty of consideration I believe I have found a way to usurp the All Blacks, but it’s a way that would frustrate the majority of Roarers.
And yet I believe in my sentiments fully because it makes the most sense. But the first step in becoming the best is to define the best. We must understand what makes you the best. Then, and only then, can you gun for it yourself.
In the game of rugby union there are three very sought after achievements that every team wishes to possess. Of all the teams competing on the world stage only one has succeeded in acquiring all three – the New Zealand All Blacks.
The three achievements I speak of are obvious. They are winning percentages against every Test playing nation in the world, the IRB’s – albeit dubious – number one ranking and, of course, the William Web Ellis trophy.
Unfortunately the best team in the world cannot be claimed by obtaining only one or two of these accolades. A team must possess all three in order to be the very best in the world.
Why? Because winning percentages show you the dominance of a team throughout their history, but not necessarily if a team is currently on form. A prime example of this would be between the Springboks and the Wallabies.
The Springboks have had about a 60 per cent winning record throughout their history, but the Wallabies have had the upper hand since the dawn of professionalism. How then could you claim either to be better than the other without resorting to the categorisation of different eras?
The IRB’s number one ranking is just too inconsistent to be considered a true reflection of a team residing on the world’s summit. For instance, the Boks had just beaten the All Blacks and in doing so closed the gap in points between the two quite considerably. Had the Boks played the All Blacks again the weekend after, and won, then they would find themselves at first place.
But how can that be achieved so easily when New Zealand dominated the world and the Boks for the past twenty games?
What the IRB rankings promote is the idea that one-off wins can make you better than other teams. It also indirectly states that the rankings don’t care about periods of domination.
The only thing they want is the illusion of surpassing your superiors, courtesy of a solitary win over them regardless if you’ve lost against then the past ten times.
For me that doesn’t quite cut it.
And then there is the World Cup. Fabulous tournament, magical atmosphere, a sudden-death competition with everything on the line – but unfortunately completely pointless.
The World Cup would have you believe that nothing else matters. Not the four years preceding it anyway. If we were to believe that the World Cup truly does crown the leaders in world rugby then Australia and South Africa are tied for first place – with New Zealand and England battling out for third. It doesn’t make sense does it?
As you can see defining the best is very tricky and yet the All Blacks are considered the best quite casually.
When studying the archives of our great sport we often come across a very defining term commonly used when describing the All Blacks. They call it the ‘All Black Aura’. Ah yes, the All Black Aura. We know it too well don’t we my friends? Or do we?
The All Blacks are the best because they have an aura of majesty, superiority, godliness – all those things our Kiwi cousins call their team and all of its players. In reality, it just means they win so often that losing can’t be associated with the team.
In fact they win so often that the three holy trophies I mentioned have made New Zealand their natural habitat.
So now we know why they are the best, the question now is how do we achieve it? The ‘know-it-alls’ will say that you just need to beat them consistently to dethrone them.
This is true, but how? It’s easier said than done.
The secret is one that will make most readers cringe. To become the All Blacks you have to become the All Blacks of the number two spot in the world. It’s as simple as that.
When was the last time that a team has dominated the number two spot in the world for as long as the All Blacks have secured the first?
The sad reality is that from two to about eighth in the world, we have a classic case of musical chairs. South Africa are second one minute then Australia and then England. Even France have plied their trade there. There is just consistency, unlike at the top.
And the reason for that is because every team just wants to focus on New Zealand. Beating them is everything, beating them is the alpha and omega in rugby union. And it should be, but it does not mean that you should take your current position for granted.
This in my mind has been Australia’s biggest downfall. They become so obsessed with beating the All Blacks that they forget the chasing pack. When reality slaps them in the face they find themselves beaten by France, England or Argentina – or even worse, Scotland.
What bothers me with the Australian mentality is that when, and only when, they’ve fallen against New Zealand they start focusing on retaining their spot or going one lower. Case in point being Michael Hooper’s statements before the Newlands game.
At that stage they were ranked third in the world. They gunned for first forgetting about all else and lost. After that, they gunned for second only because it’s the next best thing. In the end they ended up at fourth yet again.
Now I’m not suggesting that if you’re third you forget about first and second. When you play them you play to win at all costs, but don’t become so fixated on progress and forget the threat of regression.
The Springboks under Heyneke Meyer have done things right. During his tenure they have only lost against a team ranked lower than them once – and that was in Perth this year. Spot the contradiction.
Ewen McKenzie when his tenure started claimed he holds the key to the New Zealand lock. He promised the Bledisloe but never mentioned the Springboks or the tendency of winning before he confronted them.
Meyer on the other hand had this to say following his appointment.
“Naturally we would like to beat New Zealand in every game we play them. That should be the goal for every team in the world. But the reality also is that we are currently ranked fourth in the world and that isn’t good enough for us.”
“My aim is to win every game we play especially the ones at home. We have to face every game with the same intensity as when when we face New Zealand. When you secure your spot in the world you begin building momentum and that momentum creates a winning culture. You will find yourself at first eventually if you focus on winning every single game against every single team.”
That year the Boks jumped to second and they haven’t looked back since. They have beaten New Zealand. While they are still ahead, it means that the Springboks have built an aura of their own at second.
That is the key to becoming the best. It is no coincidence that the Springboks are currently ranked second and have winning percentages against every team in the world except the All Blacks.
I hope Michael Cheika understands this. You will never be the best until you secure your current standing. You must beat every team ranked lower than you and from there work your way up slowly. Patience brings good fortune. Think long term, not short term.
The Springboks are proof of this. They have been second in the world comfortably now for three years running and they are gaining serious momentum because of it, the win at Ellis Park reinforces this idea.
Should the Boks dominate the rest of the world and stay second for the next ten years, then every team lower than them will consider them as unbeatable as they consider New Zealand. The Boks will build an aura equal to the All Blacks’.
Should they continue this consistency I firmly believe they will contest that number one spot.
Unfortunately becoming the best takes years and loads of patience. That’s just the way it is.
We all say ‘two is not good enough’. But when we open our eyes after being so obsessed with only the number one spot, we find that second and third was just stolen from us faster than Julian Savea to an open try line.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.