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All Black coach Graham Henry was at sixes and sevens with himself at the famous Ponsonby Rugby Club in Auckland yesterday, introducing his World Cup squad to the nation.
“We have not been good at sudden-death football in recent times, and we need a special mentality for those games”.
That was a major admission by Henry for the first time. And in the next breath:
“One of the special qualities of rugby in New Zealand is the expectation of the public, and that’s one of the reasons why we have been successful”.
Sounding a bit rattled after losing the Tri-Nations 25-20 to the Wallabies last Saturday night?
“No, not at all. Winning the Tri-Nations has nothing to do with the World Cup, the next eight weeks will decide that.
“We’ve won the Tri-Nations every year of the last three World Cups in 1999, 2003, and 2007, but didn’t win the Cup”.
And haven’t since the inaugural year in 1987 by whupping France 29-9 at Eden Park, the venue for this year’s RWC decider on October 23.
But it’s not only what Henry said yesterday, rather what he didn’t say.
When the Tri-Nations kicked off last month, the All Blacks were 7.74 ranking points ahead of the second-placed Wallabies, and cruising as the world’s top rugby nation.
But after back-to-back losses to the Boks and Wallabies, the men in black are just 1.71 ranking points to the good of the men in gold.
The All Blacks have lost their invincible tag at the worst possible time, and with double points allocated to the World Cup, could well lose their number one ranking sooner than later.
That would hurt the All Blacks.
They’ve rightfully been top dog for a tick over six of the eight years since world rankings became official just prior to the 2003 World Cup.
The Boks have been number one on three different occasions, for a total of 18 months, England once for six.
And to complete the dominance picture with the World Cup just 10 days away, only five countries have ever beaten the All Blacks in over 100 years: the Wallabies have won 41 times from 142 internationals, the Boks (34 from 83), France (12 from 49), England (6 from 34), and Wales (3 from 28).
All up, the All Blacks have played 477 internationals, and won 357, for a lifetime win percentage of 74.84.
By any standards, that’s a staggering stat which has to be the most impressive in world sport, in any sport, in any era, from a pocket-sized country that has a smaller population than Sydney.
Impressive except at World Cup time.
Here’s how the contenders have campaigned in the lead-up to the seventh RWC:
The All Blacks, ranked 1:
* Beat Fiji 60-14, at Carisbrook.
* Beat the Boks 40-7, at Wellington.
* Beat the Wallabies 30-14, at Eden Park.
* Lost to the Boks 18-5, at Port Elizabeth.
* And lost to the Wallabies 25-20, at Suncorp.
The Wallabies, ranked 2:
* Lost to Samoa 32-23, at SFS.
* Beat the Boks 39-20, at Stadium Australia.
* Lost to the All Blacks 30-14, at Eden Park.
* Beat the Boks 14-9, at Durban.
* And beat the All Blacks 25-20, at Suncorp.
The Boks, ranked 3:
* Lost to the Wallabies 39-20, at Stadium Australia.
* Lost 40-7 to the All Blacks, at Wellington.
* Lost to the Wallabies 14-9, at Durban.
* And beat the All Blacks 18-5, at PE.
France, ranked 4:
* Beat Ireland 19-12, at Bordeaux.
* And beat Ireland 26-22, at Lansdowne.
England, ranked 5:
* Beat Wales 23-19, at Twickenham.
* Lost to Wales 19-9, at Millennium.
* And beat Ireland 20-9, at Lansdowne.
Wales, ranked 6:
* Lost to England 23-19, at Twickenham.
* Beat England 19-9, at Millennium.
* And beat Argentina 28-13, at Millennium.
Scotland, ranked 7:
* Beat Ireland 10-6, at Murrayfield.
* And beat Italy 23-12, at Murrayfield.
And Ireland, ranked 8:
* Lost to Scotland 19-6, at Murrayfield.
* Lost to France 19-12, at Bordeaux.
* Lost to France 26-22, at Lansdowne.
* And lost to England 20-9, at Lansdowne.
The standout among those results is Ireland, without a win in four, and ranked eighth in the world, the men in green’s highest ranking ever.
It could have been worse.
Had England beaten them by 15 points instead of 11, Argentina would be eighth, leaving Ireland languishing on nine.
And Ireland is in the Wallaby Cup Pool with Italy, Russia and the USA. Beware of the wounded Irishman!
Standout two: the Wallabies have beaten the All Blacks in two of their last three meetings, having lost the previous 10 on the trot.
And standout three: the unpredictable and unbeaten French are in the same Pool as the All Blacks, Canada, Japan, and Tonga.
Little wonder Henry seems at sixes and sevens with himself.
At 65, his life’s work is on the line, enjoying a phenomenal and deserved career.
But there’s unfinished business. RWC business.
The huge difference between being dubbed Sir Graham Henry and rugby Siberia.