Perfect year not on All Blacks' wishlist

See that's where all the rest of you fall down. Every game matters.

"" Perfect year driving All Blacks 06th November 2013 05:43 Richie McCaw has admitted his team wants to become the first All Blacks squad to go through a calender year with nothing but wins to their name. The 32-year-old - capped over 120 times since debuting in 2001 - hasn't played in all their games this year, sitting out the three fixtures against France in June, but his team enter their final three games of 2013 with a record of played 11 won 11. The last All Blacks line-up to go through a year unbeaten was the 1997 vintage, but despite 11 victories that group was also held to a draw. "I think the team wants to add to the legacy of the All Blacks," said McCaw, speaking to AFP. "We have achieved a lot of wonderful things in the past few years and this squad wants to add another thing to that list. "To be the number one team is where we want to be at." McCaw was not getting overly confident though and said he and his team-mates were taking nothing for granted with their matches against the French, England, who trounced them at Twickenham last year, and Ireland coming up. "Of course we want to win every game and it would be nice to sit back in December having done so," he added. "What's the secret? Well it is a cliché really just taking every match as it comes each week and focussing on that and then once it is over and Monday swings round concentrating on the next game." And is this the greatest All Blacks team ever? McCaw admits it's tough to gauge at this point. "Well this side is right up there, there is a depth of players with the experience of people like myself and lots of young talent coming through, who would all deserve to play a test on this tour, but with 36 players in the squad that is not possible," he said. "It is hard to know whether we are better than the 2011 team. There is definitely less experience in this squad, but it is equal in talent." ""

Chann Wee did the Planet Rugby copyright info mean nothing to you, as per previous posts/reminder? Another full article 'stolen' Another mass cut and paste, Wales team on the NZ thread . . . If I want to read Planet Rugby, I go to their website.

I've seen him play centre a few times for Auckland in Super Rugby and at ITM level. I know it's not comparative to test rugby but he's good enough to be there.

The All Blacks haven't lost in Paris since 1973 and have won 10 of 13 games in France, the last defeat being Marseilles 13 years ago ... couple of 13's there but that was the last time and this is now. Can one Smith replace another? That's one important question that will need to be answered. The other is - will the scrum get it's act together before a half time blast from the coach is required?

:@ Squirrel : "" Priestland at fly-half for Wales 05th November 2013 12:34 Scarlets number ten Rhys Priestland has won the fly-half shootout with James Hook and Dan Biggar to start against South Africa. Perpignan star Hook is named amongst the replacements, whilst Ospreys' fly-half Dan Biggar misses out on a spot in the matchday 23. George North has been selected on the right wing in place of the injured Alex Cuthbert, with uncapped Ospreys sensation Eli Walker picked on the opposite flank. Sam Warburton captains Wales from openside flanker, combining with two other British and Irish Lions in Toby Faletau and Dan Lydiate in the back-row, with Bradley Davies in the second row alongside Alun Wyn Jones. Cardiff Blues prop Gethin Jenkins will win his 99th cap and is joined in the front row by the experienced duo of Richard Hibbard and Adam Jones. The match against South Africa is the first of four November games at the Millennium Stadium and head coach Warren Gatland knows it is going to be a huge encounter on Saturday. "We always say we like to test ourselves against the best and Saturday is going to be just that with a huge game against South Africa first up," said Gatland. "The Springboks arrive in the UK off the back of their impressive Rugby Championship campaign and we know that we need to start well on Saturday. "We go into the series as Six Nations Champions but we are looking forward to testing ourselves against the southern hemisphere sides and showing what we are can do. "Since we have been together, competition in the squad has been good and it is great to have both Rhys and Dan back available for us. "Eli has impressed for his Region and whilst with us and it's a great opportunity for him to make his mark in a very experienced side." Wales: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 George North, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Scott Williams, 11 Eli Walker, 10 Rhys Priestland, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Toby Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton (c), 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Alun Wyn Jones, 4 Bradley Davies, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Gethin Jenkins. Replacements: 16 Ken Owens, 17 Paul James, 18 Scott Andrews, 19 Luke Charteris, 20 Justin Tipuric, 21 Lloyd Williams, 22 James Hook, 23 Liam Williams. Date: Saturday, November 9 Kick-off: 17:30 GMT Venue: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff Referee: Alain Rolland (Ireland) Assistant Referees: George Clancy (Ireland), Marius Mitrea (Italy) TMO: Eric Gauzins (France) ""

errrr correct me if im wrong , but if my memory serves me right, the 1995 RWC final was won by SA by a drop goal after extra time. I remember INVICTUS more than the actual match :P :D

Professional era = post 1995. Plenty of teams managed to win all their tests in a year in the amateur era.

no, the France tour this year featured a midweek match v the Blues; there was talk of England playing either a Crusaders or Blues side Read this http://www.stuff.co.nz/sport/rugby/super-rugby/8827631/Crusaders-eye-international-fixture-vs-England but nothing has eventuated that I am aware of.

@ atlas : It will be just a test tour , like France this year. it will be in June 2014 and then NZ will play England again in November in England. in 2015 it will be the cup tournament. in 2016 it will be Wales tour. in 2017 it will be lions tour All this according to official AB website.

@ Gonzo Jacobs : "" I think Piutau should be given a crack at 12 where he has played before,..."" Just to know, which team? I saw him on the wing at JRWC 2011.

And only 4 teams have beaten NZ in the last 60 years.

I'd like to see Wales play, but at the moment no one is even close to NZ or SA. Not worthy to be on the same field. They are that far ahead, I can't see teams getting within 20 points on either team this tour.

Percentages are all well and good.. but winning the games that matter is what its all about.

since you're going to pre-professional days - former All Black player, captain and later All Black coach also had an unbeaten coaching career. He coached the All Blacks to to 37 successive victories, 14 of them international tests 1966-1968, when tests were fewer than more recent times. There's a Roar thread from 2011 on the topic - http://www.theroar.com.au/2011/08/26/why-graham-henry-is-the-best-with-daylight-second/ Scroll down on this page it has a chart of all the coaches and their percentages in the professional era. Only Mitchell, henry and Hansen (all NZ) have exceeded 80% averages Coaching under the spotlight - How successful have our head coaches been in the professional era? http://www.lassen.co.nz/pickandgo.php

A great achievement if they do go unbeaten this year. A very rare occurrence and well done to them if they do. They are truly a class outfit this year, as they were last year too. Phenomenal team over the past 2 years, they really are. But I have to have a dig....Ha ha..... It's interesting to note that the writer chooses to word it "a first perfect season in the professional era" as opposed to "a perfect season since 1995"... when the Springboks wiped all before them :-) It's almost as though he intentionally fails to give credit to the Boks. One year before rugby turned professional. It actually started in mid 1994 and they were unbeaten in 1995 and the Boks beat every single top team in rugby during that period except Ireland (whom they didn't get a chance to play, but who also never even made it past the pool stages in the WC as they were poor). Argentina, Scotland, Wales, Australia, France, New Zealand, England. Coach Kitch Christie is the only SA coach with a 100% win record. 14 out of 14. I wonder if any other coach in world rugby has an unbeaten record like that? And yet some Kiwi's still think the All Blacks were better that year at the WC..... ?? When they lost to France 3 out of 4 games, lost to the Boks and lost to Australia the year before..? Plus the Boks beat all of these other teams by bigger score margins than the AB's managed to except England (SA by 10 points, AB by 16 points). C'mon Daniel let's give credit where it's due :-) England were phenomenal during the 2000-2003 period and the Boks were brilliant from 1997-1998 where they were going for that 18th consecutive win in a row and lost to England at the final hurdle in late 1998, like the All Blacks last year. I'm just stirring here but the whole 95 thing is still quite amusing ;-) Many Kiwi's "insist that the AB were by far the best team that year"!! Ha ha. Maybe I'm just stirring because I've read so many one eyed Kiwi's takes on 95 on here who are completely oblivious to the Boks record during that period, which happened to include the WC final. Take care all

beauty - there are so many moments when it could have gone wrong, but it didn't, I'd rate it better than the Barbarians v ABs 1973 try As for the forward pass, my (late) father preferred just to say they were all bloody cheats! That settles it then, no further discussion necessary!

The only pass that could conceivably be called forward is the one from Benazzi to Ntamack (at :24 in that video) but it''s fine. Looks worse than it is because he gets stopped after passing and even then I'm not sure if it actually floats foward.

that would be a monumental upset. only five teams have ever beaten the All Blacks, and Ireland isnt one of them.

My old man who is nearly 80 swears to this day there was a forward pass in that French move. I still love it as a moment of sheer beauty!