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All Blacks maintain their knack of seizing the moment

27th July, 2015
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Richie McCaw took All Black rugby to incredible heights. (AP Photo/Scott Heppell)
Roar Guru
27th July, 2015
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There are a couple of old adages in rugby which have universally stood the test of time.

1. The team that scores just before or just after halftime stands a good chance of winning.

2. The team that finishes the strongest stands a good chance of winning.

Now those statements are hardly earth shattering, but the great J.J. Stewart once said:

“Rugby is a simple game, played by simple men, so let’s keep it simple.”

So here is a simple analysis on why the All Blacks have managed to win an extraordinary 41 out of 45 matches since the 2011 World Cup. They follow the above formula.

In the last 45 Tests the All Blacks have outscored their opposition 162-90 in the period five minutes before and five minutes after halftime. They have only lost that period of the match ten times.

Already this year the All Blacks have struck vital blows in this period against Argentina and South Africa.

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Ma’a Nonu barged over for a try just before the interval in Christchurch against the Pumas while Ben Smith tied a game in the 39th minute the Springboks had dominated.

In Dunedin in 2014, Smith dramatically chased down England’s Manu Tuilagi when he seemed certain to score a try. Had Tuilagi scored it could have been 17-3 to the visitors.

Instead a few moments later Aaron Cruden kicked a penalty to make it 10-6 at halftime and then he scored a converted try shortly after halftime. The All Blacks won the game by a point.

Even more telling is the fact the All Blacks have outscored their opponents 221-77 in the last ten minutes of Tests since 2012. The All Blacks have only lost this period of the match five times and only concede 5 per cent of all points in this period, while scoring 15 per cent.

There have been some notable last-minute wins. They include:

A Dan Carter drop goal to beat Ireland 22-19 in Christchurch in 2012.

A Ryan Crotty try and Aaron Cruden conversion to beat Ireland 24-22 in Dublin in 2013.

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A Conrad Smith try to beat England 20-15 in Auckland in 2014.

A Malakai Fekitoa try to beat Australia in Brisbane in 2014.

It is of course important to score point at any moment of the match, but it seems some moments are more important than other and the All Blacks have an uncanny knack of scoring when it counts.

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