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Graham Henry is a shrewd campaigner, who communicates well with his troops. When the All Blacks moved into their World Cup headquarters, skipper-flanker Richie McCaw, and veteran full-back Mils Muliaina were locked on 98 Tests caps, a record for the men-in-black.
Faced with an executive decision, Henry saw no point in them sharing the centurion spotlight, so he left Muliaina out of the first Cup clash against Tonga for McCaw to play his 99th.
Tomorrow at Hamilton both will turn out against Japan – McCaw to become the first All Black to earn 100 caps, Muliaina for his 99th.
Shrewd alright. Taking nothing away from the yeoman service Muliaina has given the All Blacks, but McCaw deserves the accolades of being the first New Zealander to three figures.
“He is incredibly brave, skilful, and a hugely intelligent player who has the total respect of the team through the many deeds and successes he has achieved on the rugby field, and his ability to lead from the front,” is how Henry described his skipper.
The proof is in the stats.
Since McCaw become an All Black, the side has won 87 of his 99 appearances (88%), far in excess of the 75% win-rate in All Black history.
That’s the stamp of the man who carries the weight of a nation seeking a second RWC after a 24-year drought.
That drought is as staggering as the Don Bradman duck in his last Test dig, requiring just four runs for a career average of 100 – the most famous duck in Test cricket history.
There’s no argument the All Blacks have been the number one side in world rugby for most of our lives. The fact only five countries have beaten them in over 100 years bears testimony to that.
The Wallabies have won 41 of 142 meetings (29%), the Springboks 34 of 83 (41%), France 12 of 49 (24%), England 6 of 34 (18%), and Wales 3 of 28 (11%).
Barring major upsets, the All Blacks are likely to face three of the five in this World Cup.
But history records the All Blacks don’t bring their long-standing lofty status to the World Cup arena.
They clash with France in their pool game at Eden Park on September 24, the most critical game in all the pool stages.
Nobody, not even the French, know what team will turn up – the flashy exciting devil-may-care running rugby French, or the bumbling mistake-ridden embarrassment.
As it sits, the seedings suggest the quarters will be – Wallabies-Wales, England-France, Boks-Ireland, and All Blacks-Scotland.
With the semis – Wallabies-England and All Blacks-Boks.
But if the exciting French side turns up at Eden Park to upset the All Blacks, the quarters-semis will have a very different look – Wallabies-Wales, England-All Blacks, Boks-Ireland, and France-Scotland – with the semis Wallabies-All Blacks, and Boks-France.
So if the All Blacks are to win the RWC under those circumstances they will meet four of the five countries that have beaten them in the past.
Making the RWC more intriguing by the week, increasing the pressure on Richie McCaw.
“To play my 100th in New Zealand is pretty special, and the World Cup couldn’t be a bigger stage, but you’ve still got to remember to get the job done,” said McCaw.
“Get the job done”.
That’s the catch-cry right across the rugby-religion Shaky Isles.
But not too shaky, that’s been the problem for 24 years.