100 greatest All Blacks ever: 90 to 81

Part two of our ten part series looking at the greatest All Blacks of all time, ranked in order from 100 to 1…

90. Robin Brooke (1992-1999 – 69 matches)
Athletic and surprisingly mobile in the open, but as a lock he was more of a workhorse and his power in scrummaging and in other forward aspects made him an invaluable member of All Black packs. There was a strong belief into the mid to late 1990s that any below-par All Black pack performance almost invariably coincided with Brooke being either injured or unavailable.

Brooke’s longest absences from the All Blacks came on the 1993 tour of England and Scotland when, because of a calf injury, he did not play a match and won the nickname ‘Foodbill’, and during the 1994 season. Significantly, four of the six Tests in which Brooke was absent in this period were lost.

89. Andy Dalton (1977-1985 – 58 matches)
A fine forward and skilled hooker, Andy Dalton was the first All Black hooker to throw the ball into the lineout, and was highly regarded for his skill in doing so.

His record as captain is among the most successful in All Black history. Captained the All Blacks in series victories against South Africa (1981), the British Isles (1983) and Australia (1984).

88. Bill Cunningham (1901-1908 – 39 matches)
Had a successful tour with the 1905/06 ‘Original’ All Blacks, playing in 25 of the 35 tour matches. Described as a “rotund, cheerful and durable player”, Bill Cunningham had the strength and technique needed by locks in the 2-3-2 scrum formation then used.

Toured Australia in 1910 as a member of the first Maori All Blacks team. A cornerstone of some formidable Auckland packs which held the Ranfurly Shield for eight years.

87. Peter Jones (1953-1960 – 37 matches)
A big, powerful fisherman from Awanui in the Far North, Jones was known by the nickname ‘Tiger’, because of his fierce, vigorous play in the loose. Jones was an imposing figure with ball in hand, especially as his size was allied with surprising pace – the 1956 Springboks discovered to their cost he was as quick as most backs and capable of running 100 yards in well under 11 seconds.

Against the 1956 Springboks he made a dramatic impact with his powerhouse running and his try in the fourth Test at Eden Park, from broken play following a lineout is one of the most famous ever scored by an All Black forward.

86. Sitiveni Sivivatu (2005-2011 – 46 matches)
Despite injuries plaguing him during the 2010-11 season, he enjoyed a spectacular and successful career which would put him among the best in the position and with a high try-scoring strike rate.

He celebrated his debut in style with four tries, a record for a player in his first All Black Test. Sivivatu quickly became one of the All Blacks’ main strike weapons, playing against the 2005 Lions and remaining a regular selection until 2009.

85. Jerry Collins (2001-2007 – 50 matches)
One of the toughest and most uncompromising forwards to ever play for the All Blacks, his ferocious tackling and intimidating presence made him feared by every opponent. By the time he departed in 2008, he had become something of a folk hero.

Often criticised for being one dimensional in his play and though he may have lacked some of the finesse of some other champions of this position, such as Ian Kirkpatrick, through 2006-07 he developed more all-round attributes and was never seriously challenged as an All Black front-line selection.

84. Jim Parker (1924-1925 – 21 matches)
One of the Invincibles successes, Parker played in 21 of the All Blacks’ 38 matches in 1924-5, mostly at wing forward but once on the wing and twice in the back row of the 2-3-2 scrum.

A professional sprinter, he was very fast and was by far the leading try scorer among the All Black forwards.

83. Mils Muliaina (2003-2011 – 102 matches)
Though he had a slightly shorter span in the All Blacks than McCaw, making his debut in 2003, Muliaina was able to reach the 100 Test milestone at almost the same time. That was a reflection of his consistency over eight or nine seasons and the fact that, because of the quality of his performances, he was invariably a first choice.

Over the latter stages of his career Muliaina was mainly a fullback and his steadiness, especially under the high ball, plus his pace and readiness to counter attack won him recognition as one of the best the All Blacks have had in the position.

82. Walter Little (1989-1998 – 75 matches)
Formed a potent midfield duo with Frank Bunce and, though there were disruptions through 1993 and 1994, they were at their formidable best in the 1995 World Cup and then in the unbeaten year of 1996, in which the Springboks were beaten for the first time in a series in South Africa.

Had a long career affected by injury and selectors’ blunders. Displayed superb tactical appreciation and fine skills in setting up his outsides.

81. Tony Woodcock (2002-2012 – 93 matches)
Staked a strong claim early in 2004 to be the All Blacks’ long-term loose-head prop and was one of the key players in dominant performances by the All Black pack thereafter. While his reputation is built on strong scrummaging and hard graft, Woodcock is a mobile prop with good ball skills, who can break out when presented with an open field.

Scored five tries against Australia in 2007-2008 and the only All Black try in the victorious 2011 Rugby World Cup final.