Former All Blacks coach Graham Henry has revealed he suspected possible match-fixing in the All Blacks shock 2007 World Cup loss to France but his plea for an investigation was rejected.
Henry’s suspicions are revealed in advance excerpts from his soon-to-be released biography “Graham Henry: Final Word”.
In the book, he tells how he “briefly contemplated match-fixing as the only logical explanation” for the upset 20-18 loss to France in the 2007 World Cup quarter-finals, Fairfax Media reported on Sunday.
Henry, who stepped down as All Blacks coach after guiding the team to win the 2011 World Cup, said he was stunned by the lopsided penalty count which heavily favoured France.
He analysed video of the game and, in a report to the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU), he urged it to “pressure the International Rugby Board to institute an inquiry”.
According to the biography, he believed the video “would confirm that referee Wayne Barnes and his touch judges, Jonathan Kaplan from South Africa and Tony Spreadbury from England, hadn’t exactly covered themselves in glory at the Millennium Stadium, that they had missed an obvious forward pass when France scored the match-winning try – a pass so forward everyone in the stadium had witnessed it except the referee – and that Barnes had been pretty lenient on the French at the breakdowns, probably costing the All Blacks the game”.
The video contained statistical breakdowns that showed the All Blacks had an overwhelming 73 per cent territorial advantage, won 166 rucks to 42 and made only 73 tackles compared with France’s 331.
The NZRU chose not to seek an investigation and Henry felt it was “incomprehensible” the International Rugby Board did not have strategies in place to investigate bizarre matches.
Biography author and veteran New Zealand rugby writer Bob Howitt wrote: “He knew if a comparable situation had occurred in other sports, it would be investigated.
“But there existed a blissful purity about rugby, or at least that’s how everyone wanted to perceive it. It wasn’t politically correct to even suggest the match officials might have favoured one team.”
The All Blacks had been hot favourites to go through and win the tournament, and Henry told Radio Sport that something didn’t feel right about the shock loss to France.
“I’ve been involved in 140 Test matches and 20 years of coaching at provincial level or the level above and 12 years of coaching international rugby and I’ve never been involved in a game that was like this game,” he said.
Munchkin
Roar Rookie
How could a game be rigged and with a side such as the All Blacks!
Munchkin
Roar Rookie
How could a side as good as the All Blacks have a game rigged or any other side in rugby for that matter.
Munchkin
Roar Rookie
Interesting article on the All Blacks and have a picture of their very first boots from the new zealand hall of fame when I went there for the masters! Cant wait to see what this brings out in this article.
kovana
Roar Pro
True, the Majority think it was quite a bad reffing performance by Joubert,,,, But yet Kiwis seem to think that the Majority of the Rugby world is wrong in this assessment.
Ash
Guest
Ask the French and everywhere outside of NZ and the majority will say '11 was completely dodgy.
mania
Guest
jerry - it was a kick that mcalistair turned to chase when the french guy ran into his back. not only is mcalsitair allowed to hold his line he's allowed to chase the ball. why did the french guy run into him. to fool the ref and draw a penalty. it wasnt even that clever but barnes fell for it
Jokerman
Guest
I don't think so Jerry, even Spiro's say's "Luke McAlister was given a yellow card towards the end of the match for an offence that hardly rated a penalty." Indeed! Harden up Jerry! Lol
mania
Guest
royce "The Boks have had the All Blacks number over the 4 years that PdV was coach" WOW u have got to be kidding. PDV didnt have his own teams number let alone the AB's
I agree Henry isn't coming off too flash in regards to this, but he must obviously feel very strong about this. I doubt that this will all of a sudden change the way games are assessed by the IRB, but for what it's worth, the number of games being cluded by controversy has become alarming. Maybe this will get the IRB to rethink laws and the manner in which they are interpreted.
Rugby Fan
Roar Guru
Graham Henry doesn't come out too well in all this. I doubt there's anyone who world argue that Barnes turned in a good display that day. Even the IRB review of his performance after the match found fault with the officials. it's another matter entirely to raise the spectre of match-fixing. Henry has had the opportunity to qualify his comments since they were first reported but has declined to do so. It's one thing to say (these aren't his words) "I was so shocked by the result that I even began to wonder if there had been some kind of fix" and then follow it up with "I don't believe that's what happened at all and I quickly dismissed those thoughts. However, it did start me thinking about whether our game has any procedures in place to guard against a problem which has blighted sports like cricket and football". Instead, Henry has just left his comments hanging. I'm pleased to see he is being criticized in some quarters of the New Zealand media and I agree with Bob Francis, who is quoted saying: "It's a real shame. Graham Henry has finished his career on an incredibly high note .. he was knighted and gained the accolades he deserves for a magnificent career. But I think he has done some major damage to his own reputation through this. I think he will be ridiculed in many parts of the world and I think that's a shame."
Jerry
Guest
In all seriousness, I think we can rule out match fixing for one simple reason. If I were going to rig a match I wouldn't risk doing it in favour of the French. They're far too likely to completely capitulate. Even taking into account the penalty count and the leg up it gave the French, they still only won by 2 points playing out of their skin with both NZ fly-halves off the pitch. On another day the French could have leaked 4 or 5 tries after giving up with 30 minutes to play and even the most corrupt official on earth wouldn't have saved them.
It seems we all bury our heads in the sand every now and then. ;)
WQ
Guest
The YouTube video is as big a joke as your opinion on this topic!
And was Dusatoirs 38 tackles in that match part of the fix? Ridiculous sour grapes.
Colin
Guest
Are you suggesting our game is corrupt? That would well and truly ruin it for me, so I hope not - I would have thought it too small a club for too much of that to be going on.
Jerry
Guest
And 4 of those were in kickable range.
p.Tah
Guest
Well if that's the case he is a fruitcake and can expect a lawsuit very soon!
Johnno
Guest
Kuruki and that is the problem money,. I believe in pro sport and capitalism, and the advantages of pro sport massively outweigh the disadvantages, and basically going amateur. Amatuer top level sport has so many disadvantages i don't know where to start. But the fans should not accept dodgy reefing and the only way to change this is either stop watching : tv ratings $$$$ in other words as a protest and only then will the IRB or tv networks listen , that hay match fixing in rugby is unacceptable. Cricket have taken stands rugby should do the same or they might start to lose to many fans who will cut into what they only awnser to and this profit kuruki.
Far be it from me to get involved in your spat, but Australia conceded only 5 penalties in the match, whilst camping in their half for most of the game.
Kuruki
Roar Guru
Stevie B i would say it is the IRB who are incompetent. They are at the end of the day just another business who will stop at nothing to make more money. That is the way the world works. Money controls everything, even in some cases the results of our sports.