It was on Sunday that Pops & Jansen took me to Embassy 3 cinemas for the 1st time to see the Richie McCaw movie + documentary since January when I went to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens and it felt great so here's a sports documentary review according to the New Zealand Listener:
The sports documentary reached its zenith with Asif Kapadia’s Senna, a fanfare celebration of speed and the racing car pilots addicted to it, maniacal madmen clutch-throttling for their next fix. Its subject, Ayrton Senna, was a prophet prone to hallucinogenic visions while navigating hairpins at the Monaco Grand Prix. Between the blurred barriers, at twice the speed that is really sensible, he slipped into reveries and saw the face of God. What did he look like? Did he have Nigel Mansell’s moustache?
We’ll never know. In 1994, physics caught up with him. Kapadia’s film, spliced enchantingly from archived celluloid and grained television coverage, didn’t have a talking head in sight. There were just voice-overs, the story told in remembrance and Senna’s intensely serious face mourned from afar.
I recall Senna because it commemorated a verifiable legend, but never deified him. Above all, it made you care about the sport of Formula 1, even if you came to the film with a fear of any vehicle with more than two wheels.
The same cannot be said of Chasing Great, a documentary about the life of former All Blacks captain Richard Hugh McCaw. It is a work of pure and distilled hagiography, with the difficulty of its subject being very much alive, and free from the assumption that anyone other than a rugby fan will watch it. There is no history of the game, no ruminations on the muscle-tearing, nose-breaking brutality in which many people find beauty. It’s a closed book and one whose ending we already know.
The film’s poster – which, not coincidentally, shows Richie McCaw illuminated by a halo of golden light – invites us to rummage “in the mind of a champion” for an instruction manual. What do we need to achieve greatness? Unsurprisingly, nothing more than what McCaw has told us many times before: dedication, hard work and (after the 2007 World Cup exit) a good forensic psychologist.
There might be something to be said for McCaw’s quiet resilience, his humble upbringing (shown in cute home videos) and commitment to achieving the heights of his profession. Yet this no-nonsense style does not lend itself to cinema, regardless of the film-makers’ exertions. There is little romance or inspiration to be found here. After all, McCaw’s success speaks for itself.
And the sports documentary itself is about the legendary rugby player Richie McCaw through his final season as he attempts the goal of captaining the All Blacks to the first ever-back-to back Rugby World Cup victories. Woven through that final season the film tells the story of Richie’s life. With unprecedented access to Richie and a remarkable family video archive ‘Chasing Great’ is the story of how a shy farm boy went on to be one of the greatest rugby players of all time. Until now Richie McCaw’s achievements have been well documented but little is known about the man himself. ‘Chasing Great’ takes the audience inside his world. What emerges is a very personal insight into high level international sport and a psychological profile of the mind of a champion.
So here's the news report about the Richie McCaw led New Zealand took on the South Africa in Round 2 of the Rugby Championship last year because it was the start of the film that his beloved All Blacks team were accompanied by Gauteng police on their way to Ellis Park, venue for much of the 1995 Rugby World Cup (Then in 1995, disaster struck as New Zealand (Which featured rugby's 1st global superstar, Jonah Lomu) failed to regain the crown (With several players fell victim to food poisoning with the exception of captain Sean Fitzpatrick and the Brooke brothers of Robin & Zinzan), losing to debutants and hosts South Africa in the final in which united the host country as well as their leader Nelson Mandela):
New Zealand have shown exactly why they have topped the World Rugby rankings for more than 10 years since 2003, resisting a stern challenge from the No.2-ranked Springboks at Ellis Park.
The Springboks dominated territory and possession for much of the game, as they did against Australia in Brisbane the week before, and they looked set to claim a famous victory on the back of another damaging and skillful display at the breakdown and the emerging midfield trio of Handre Pollard, Damian de Allende and Jesse Kriel (He has a twin brother named Dan), but they were unable to take advantage of the sin-binning of New Zealand replacement lock Samuel/Sam Whitelock (Brother of Adam, George & Luke) and the game changed when they lost replacement tight-head Vincent Koch.
The hosts elected to scrummage a succession of penalties under the posts, eschewing easy points to chase what seemed a certain try, but the All Blacks just held on despite immense pressure on their scrum and line, and the the Boks seemingly lost their rhythm when the game went to uncontested scrums with the introduction of loose-head Trevor Nyakane for Koch.
The All Blacks cleared their lines and gradually re-established themselves in the match, even though debutant first five-eighth Lima Sopoaga (Brother of NRL player Tupou & Southland player Ezekiel) missed a long-range opportunity to level the score. They subsequently developed an 11-phase attack that went for three minutes before kicking a penalty for a five-metre lineout, But they refused the opportunity to roll a lineout drive; instead, Richie McCaw moved forward from the half-back position to crash over unopposed in a wonderful set play. Sopoaga converted to put the margin beyond a penalty, and then iced the victory with a goal after the siren after the All Blacks had wound down the clock brilliantly with a series of pick-and-go drives in Springboks territory.
The dramatic twist was nothing more than a wonderful fixture deserved, as it had ebbed and flowed with brilliant attacking rugby even though the Springboks had seemed set for large parts of the match to run away with victory; the All Blacks seemed for those same large parts to be hanging on after their deliberate ploy to run penalties and take quick lineouts to accelerate the play and stretch their opponents had failed to gain reward.
"Our blokes showed a lot of fortitude - they came out in the second half, really showed a lot of character and started to pull things together," All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said, pleased with the way his team battled back after the Springboks had dominated possession and territory in the first 40 minutes.
"We're still pretty rusty, and that was reflected in the turnovers in the first half."
Hansen also noted Sopoaga's composed performance, with three conversions and two penalties as well as the team's outstanding defensive effort. "He showed a lot of character for a young man," said Hansen. "He missed a couple [of kicks] there but came back and kicked the important ones."
As for the team's defensive effort, Hansen said the 14-man effort to deny the Springboks was the difference between winning and losing.
"We missed a tackle on the South African goal line and they ended up back on ours and we defended our hearts out and showed a lot of courage. If they had scored then it would have been very difficult to come back but we showed the mental fortitude and the physical ability to keep getting up and making tackles and forced a turn over."
Hansen, meanwhile, described McCaw's decisive lineout try as "a variation of an old song, really".
"We practised it all week ... and it was good enough to get us home."
Sopoaga kicked the visitors into an early lead, but the Springboks hit back quickly through Willie le Roux, who ran a brilliant line to take an inside pass from Kriel and power through open space to the tryline. The Boks then turned over numerous breakdowns and set the All Blacks backwards with hard-hitting defence, but they failed to add to add more than a 20th-minute penalty from Pollard; the Al Blacks made them pay for their wastefulness on the stroke of half-time, when Ben ''Bender/Ben From Accounts'' Smith capped a wonderful counter-attack that featured a sensational midfield bust from Sopoaga, who also fed his Highlanders team-mate with an improvised over-the-top basketball pass.
The Boks regained the lead when Kriel took a flat ball Pollard and burst through the defence, but the All Blacks hit back almost immediately with a similar try from hooker & former NZ Maori representative from the Poneke club, Dane 'Colesy' Coles after Tongan born Malakai Fekitoa had created a gap with his footwork.
South Africa were denied a try when Lood de Jager came up short in extending his arm from beneath a ruck, but Pollard put the hosts back in front with a simple penalty, and they seemed certain to score again after le Roux had sparked a length-of-the-pitch break with a broken-field run from within his own 22, but the opportunity came to nothing when Sam Whitelock conceded the cynical penalty for which he was sin-binned. The Boks now seemed certain to score again, and to defeat the All Blacks for the second time in as many years at Ellis Park; but that scenario failed to take in the championship qualities of the All Blacks, who know how to win in adversity.
And here's the good old flashback from the archive when Richie McCaw made his test debut for the All Blacks against Ireland at the old Lansdowne Road in Dublin way back in 2001 with a news report:
International matches are ten-a-penny these days, or five-a-euro as Ireland will have to start saying from January, but every now and then a Test pops up to restore the faith and set a new gold standard. This was Ireland's fifth outing in eight weeks and could easily have been the rugby equivalent of a wafer-thin mint too far; instead it yielded a visual feast which reflected massive credit on both teams.
History, as it invariably does when silver fern meets shamrock, will record an All Black win but not the cacophonous excitement, the vaulting Irish hope when they led 21-7 early in the second half nor the ruthless brilliance of the visitors' response. When Keith Wood and Jonah Lomu exchanged jerseys they did so not in a winner-consoles-loser fashion but as mutually battered equals, which said everything about Ireland's wondrous first 43 minutes.
Wood was downcast afterwards, regretting his side's failure to nail down their chance when it was proffered. His disappointment showed how far the Irish have come under their own resident Kiwi, Warren Gatland, for they played almost better than in beating England 20-14 last month. When was the last time an Irish side did not concede a solitary penalty in their own half, or allowed their opponents only three over 80 minutes? "That was one of the best Irish sides I've seen," said the All Black coach John Mitchell, not a man prone to diplomatic exaggeration.
For all the inspiring deeds of Anthony Foley, however, there was no hiding the longer-term significance in the way a New Zealand team with an average age of 24 skillfully defused a nasty situation at the interval with vivid cluster-bombs of their own. That we will hear a lot in future about the new open-side Richie McCaw is the safest bet in modern rugby and his fellow 20-year-old Aaron Mauger, a great nephew of the former speedway great Ivan Mauger, had a major game too.
With seven men from the same province in the pack, it was a Canterbury tale all round once the Irish had mislaid the plot after thrusting tries from Kevin Maggs and Denis Hickie plus two drop-goals, a conversion and two penalties by the admirable David Humphreys. Had the referee Andre Watson sin-binned Norm Maxwell for ambling back from an offside position to block Peter Stringer's potential scoring pass to Foley in the right corner, a rousing afternoon might just have developed into a historic one; instead New Zealand scored 33 points in 30 minutes between the 44th and 74th minutes to hush the cockle-warming strains of The Fields of Athenry.
Of their 5 2nd-half tries, Mauger's darting 55th-minute run past four men to put New Zealand ahead for the first time in the game was pivotal, as was Lomu's contribution. The big man might not always appear quite the awesome threat of legend but one unstoppable try and two assists makes that debate a relative exercise. "It must have been a little bit demoralising to see try after try after they'd played so well," suggested the All Black captain Anton Oliver.
For Mitchell, in his first Test as All Black coach, even Eric Miller's late try could not detract from a memorable comeback. "The whole side enjoys seeing the boys going over the white paint. That was a great stepping stone in a lot of the boys' careers. It was a physical rugby match in which 16 New Zealanders put their bodies on the line."
Mitchell opted not to oblige the French journalist inviting him to compare his new-look Blacks with a vibrant Beaujolais Nouveau but, by the 2003 World Cup, the signs are he may have a seriously good side at his disposal. Ireland, at this rate, will be no pushovers either and their tour to New Zealand next summer will be equally instructive. "What will improve this side is playing at this sort of intensity for 80 minutes," said Wood, aware his team will shortly be paying Six Nations visits to the Stade de France and Twickenham.
The Irish would also love to encounter more referees like Watson, whose intelligent use of the advantage law and dry sense of humour enhanced the occasion. "It's not a beach, don't lie there," he told a couple of prone All Black forwards in the second half. It was, simply, a privilege to be present; feed me till I want no more, mate, as they say in Christchurch.
And after the match in Ellis Park, they headed to ANZ Stadium (Venue for much of the 2003 Rugby World Cup (And then in 2003, something went wrong for the All Blacks during the semifinals as Stirling Mortlock's intercept try for the Wallabies ended New Zealand's hopes of reaching the World Cup final, which was won by England) in Sydney to take on Australia in the Rugby Championship decider & Bledisloe Cup opener with another news report:
Australia have defeated New Zealand for the first time since 2011, claiming victory in a see-sawing Bledisloe Cup Test at ANZ Stadium to win the Rugby Championship.
The Wallabies claimed victory off the back of a strong scrummage, and great returns from Matt Toomua and Nic White off the bench after Sekope Kepu had scored his first Test try shortly after half-time to put Australia ahead for the first time in the game. Michael Cheika's (Well I label Michael Chieka as Michael Choker, well that is funny enough) decision to start 2 openside flankers Michael Hooper and David Pocock alongside each other in the back-row reaped massive rewards at the breakdown from the opening whistle, while Scott Fardy was also immense in the No.6 jumper.
White was the unlikely hero, however, the replacement halfback turning the game on its head after he had replaced the disappointing Nick Phipps to kick a pivotal 48-metre penalty goal and then run in the match-securing try. White broke the All Blacks' line with eight minutes remaining when he sold a big dummy, much to the delight of the crowd of 73,824, converting his try to seal the win.
"We fought hard for each other, and the crowd really lifted us there at the end," Wallabies captain Stephen Moore said.
"Both sides pushed the boundaries and it was a good contest."
Moore also paid tribute to his team''s defence, saying 'we hung in there".
"We worked hard, covered for each other. I was really proud of that effort."
Richie McCaw, who equalled Brian 'BOD' O'Driscoll as the most-capped Test player in history with his 141st international appearance, paid credit to the Wallabies in saying simply that "they took their opportunities".
"It was a pretty intense sort of match," the All Blacks captain said.
"It probably came down to a couple of missed tackles that counted at the end. I thought when we got back in the game, when we got ahead with 15 to go that's when we need ed to be really sharp, not playing at the wrong end of the field, and a couple of lapses on defence was the difference in the end."
"We made it a little bit easy through some poor decision making and they took their chances ... we've won games in the past because we got that right, but tonight we didn't and the Wallabies did.".
The All Blacks led 6-3 at half-time after a scrappy and error-riddled stanza, but Australia made a blazing start to the second half when Kepu barged over to score the opening try of the game minutes after Aaron 'Nugget' Smith had been given a yellow card for a head high tackle on Adam Ashley-Cooper.
Phipps was then yellow-carded for interfering with a quick tap penalty twice from an offside position, and the All Blacks made the hosts pay. Test debutant Nehe Milner-Skudder (AKA Skudz who is the late Buff Milner's cousin & nephew of George Skudder) crashed over after a terrific offload from Dan Carter found Ben Smith, who popped a pass to his flying right winger to make it 14-10 in favour of New Zealand.
To'omua produced a big play shortly after replacing Bernard 'Iceman' Foley, the playmaker producing a deft short kick behind the defence that sat up for Ashley-Cooper to crash through Ben Smith. Matt Giteau slotted the conversion from the sideline, and the Wallabies led 17-14 with Phipps still in the sin-bin. The All Blacks hit back with Milner-Skudder scoring his second try on the right edge, taking three Wallabies over the line before coming up with a strong second effort to force the ball and make it 19-17. But the Wallabies would not be denied.
The Wallabies now head to Auckland, hoping to secure their first Test win against the All Blacks at Eden Park since 1986 in order to regain the Bledisloe Cup for the first time since 2002.
"We won't rest on our laurels," Moore said. "We'll work hard in the week. We've got another test in a week."
Cheika said that he and his players had to remind "humble" after winning his first Test in charge against the All Blacks.
"They put a bit of heat on us early, and maybe we lacked a bit of belief in the first half," he said, echoing comments he had made in an exclusive interview with ESPN.
"We made some pretty silly choices."
"We didn't do anything particularly special. We just stayed in it tonight and that's what we need to do. Keep showing that commitment and keep working hard and refining it as we go along."
The coach was full of praise for his back-up halfback, saying "Nic White was given more time tonight based off the way he's performed in his training during the week and he wanted to take that opportunity".
"He was asked if he wanted to kick a goal from long range ... he had good distribution and good service and he scored a try. That's what I want, I want blokes putting their hand up and saying `I want to be in this'."
Cheika said of the huge challenge that will face the Wallabies in Auckland: "They're not going to be happy and it'll only get more physical ... in the lion's den away from home."
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said the Wallabies "played particularly well tonight and I think they thoroughly deserved the win and the championship".
"They outmuscled us I thought at scrum time, they won the battle over the ball and under the body at breakdown," Hansen said.
But 1st, the Quarterfinal of the 2007 Rugby World Cup (And during the quarterfinals, France terminated the All Blacks dream of winning the World Cup just like as it was repeating the heroics way back in '99 through a blatant forward pass not seen by English referee Wayne Barnes (Although South Africa won the tourney beating England in the final) was a David V Goliath battle between the favourites, the All Blacks of New Zealand facing the hosts, the Les Bleus of France at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff:
France staged a second-half fightback to beat the All Blacks 20-18 in an epic encounter at Millennium Stadium.
Trailing 13-3 in the 1st half, tries from Thierry Dusautoir and Yannick Jauzion for France in the second 40 saw the favourites condemned to another early exit from the IRB Rugby World Cup as Les Bleus set up a semi-final with world champions England.
France bolted out of the blocks in the second half, and repeated pressure on the All Black line paid off when centre Luke McAlister (Brother of Kayla) was adjudged to have blocked Jauzion as the French centre tried to reach a Jean-Baptiste Elissalde chip-over. McAlister saw yellow and Lionel Beauxis kicked the penalty.
Sebastien 'Seabass/The Caveman' Chabal's entrance on 51 minutes roused French support in the stands as Les Bleus pressed forward again, rewarded when Dusautoir stepped through a tackle to finish off a sweeping move. Beauxis struck the inside of the post to level the scores at 13-13.
As McAlister returned, Daniel/Dan 'DC' Carter limped off to be replaced by Nick 'Snapper' Evans. That signalled a period of sustained attack by the All Blacks, rewarded as number 8 Rodney So'oialo powered low through two Frenchmen to dump the ball over the whitewash. The score remained 18-13 as McAlister put the kick wide.
Frederic Michalak made an entrance on 67 minutes to devastating effect. He immediately powered down the left, handing off to Jauzion to dive over. With Beauxis off the field, Elissalde kicked the conversion.
A cagey opening to the first half saw veteran flanker Serge Betsen being knocked out cold and helped off the field. Then Carter dispatched a penalty to make it 3-0 with 13 minutes gone.
5 minutes later, Carter, Jerry 'JC/The Terminator' Collins and McAlister combined for the centre to power through and cross next to the posts. Carter converted, then Beauxis missed a penalty for France to leave the score at 10-0.
Carter increased the lead with a penalty on 30 minutes, before Beauxis scored a last-gasp three points to get the scoreboard moving for France.
And after the defeat in Sydney, both sides headed over to Eden Park (Venue for much of both the 1987 (The 1st World Cup was held back in 1987 with the All Blacks dominated the tournament in which they beat Italy (Including that all time great try from John Kirwan as well as Michael Jones scoring the 1st genuine try of the World Cup because the very 1st try of the World Cup was a penalty try), Fiji and Argentina in the pool games before taking on Scotland in the quarterfinals in which they won and Wales in the semifinals (Huw Richards got sent off for throwing that punch before Wayne 'Buck' Shelford threw a punch on Richards which went unpunished) before clashing with traditional rivals France (Who beat Australia with a desperate last minute try scored by Serge Blanco) in the final moments before New Zealand beat France 29 - 9 (With some great tries being scored by captain David Kirk as well as Kirwan) to win the very 1st ever Rugby World Cup title with Kirk lifting the World Cup title as seen on national television.) & 2011 Rugby World Cup (And so on in 2011, the All Blacks opened with a win over the kingdom of Tonga (Who hijacked us at the start) at Eden Park in Auckland (41 - 10) followed by Japan at Waikato Stadium in Hamilton 83 - 7 (The night before the mighty green throng of Ireland turned the tables on Australia, causing an upset), then France in Auckland (37 - 17) with captain Richie McCaw becoming the 1st All Black to reach 100 test caps followed by beating Canada at Wellington Regional Stadium in Wellington 79 - 15 (The day after Tonga providing another upset victory over France as well as Dan Carter, who was ruled out of the tournament altogether with a groin injury), then it is quarter final time as we scraped Argentina 33 - 10 in Auckland (Although Colin Slade suffered an injury similar to Dan Carter's), then finally beating against our traditional Trans Tasman rivals Australia (Who defeated South Africa in the quarter final which was better off forgotten) in the semifinal 20 - 6 (It was the night after the French flair titans (Who gave England the chop in the quarterfinal) defeated the Welsh (Who had beaten the mighty green throng in the quarters) in the other semifinal in which Sam Warburton got sent off for that famous spear tackle) before we once again took on France in the final, just as it was back in 1987, with the weight of the nation above our shoulders (Although Stephen 'Beaver' Donald was called up in the last minute whilst he was white baiting, YA GOT THAT!! WHITEBAITING), we have won us the CUP!!! HAIL TO THE KING BABY!!! I'VE GOT BALLS OF STEEL!!! And yeah, not only that we have ended our Rugby World Cup curse after 24 years of agony and pain, as if, not ONLY we beat France 8 - 7, we have managed to lift the World Cup trophy, not only because it is the greatest moment of my life) in Auckland for the Bledisloe Cup decider:
New Zealand have retained the Bledisloe Cup with their best performance of the year to demolish Australia at Eden Park in Auckland, running rampant in the second half to send a message to those who had begun to question their Rugby World Cup credentials after the defeat in Sydney 7 days before.
The scene was set for such a powerful performance after an incredibly emotional rendition of God Defend New Zealand and the Kapo O Pango haka, but Australia, full of hope after defeating New Zealand for the first time since 2011 in Sydney, made the better start and they were worthy of their three-point lead when Quade Cooper (Public enemy numero uno since the people of New Zealand always hated him a lot because he kneed McCaw in the 2011 Brisbane test (Although he got cited & got away with it) kicked a goal to a cacophony of boos after Israel 'Izzy' Folau (Who is in a relationship with Silver Fern Maria Tutaia) had broken the line in a nice attack sparked by the first five-eighth.
Dan Carter (Who is the world's leading test points scorer) squared the ledger after Wycliff 'Cliffy' Palu had been penalised for holding the ball in the ruck, even if New Zealand should have been awarded a scrum given the back-rower had knocked on immediately before, but Australia went immediately on the offensive with phase attack that featured a bust from big Will Skelton after Cooper had put Tevita Kuridrani (Nemani Nadolo's cousin) into space on the right wing with a pass out the back.
Australia continued to attack deep in New Zealand territory, but the All Blacks stole the ball at a ruck in their own 22 and they spread the ball wide to Julian 'The Big Bus/The Bus' Savea, who bust up towards halfway. The All Blacks recycled, and Carter showed great footwork after Ma'a Nonu had taken the ball up as first receiver; the first five-eighth then put Dane 'Colesy' Coles into space, and the hooker stood up Adam Ashley-Cooper and outsprinted Nic White in racing 40 metres for the opening try of the game. Carter converted and he and Cooper then traded penalties before half-time.
Cooper, a public enemy in New Zealand still after a cheap shot on Richie McCaw in 2011, was jeered as he slipped trying to field a clearing kick, and his night became a nightmare when he was yellow-carded for a high tackle on Aaron 'Nugget' Smith (Although he photobombed him in the process by conceding a penalty try) as the halfback seemed certain to cap a breakout created by wonderful footwork and a pop pass from Nehe Milner-Skudder. Australia's nightmare was only just beginning, however, as the All Blacks ran in two more tries while Cooper was in the sin-bin; first Nonu touched down after being put into space by Ben Smith following quick hands by the forwards in midfield, and then the second five-eighth put his midfield partner, Conrad 'Snakey' Smith, in for the simplest of tries with a long cut-out pass. Cooper returned to the field, but the All Blacks' juggernaut was on a roll and Nonu crossed for his second try, the centre picking up an inside pass from Carter and powering through a weak attempted tackle by Nic White.
Australia had a couple of opportunities deep in New Zealand territory, but the All Blacks' defence was not for breaching until Folau defused a cross-field midfield chip bomb from TJ Perenara before running home from halfway; and in truth the victory could have been more comprehensive as they retained the Bledisloe Cup for the 12th year in succession since regaining the trophy in 2003; Australia, meanwhile, are still looking for a way to defeat New Zealand at Eden Park, where they have now lost 16 straight Tests against their trans-Tasman rivals.
New Zealand captain Richie McCaw said after playing his 142nd Test, to become the most-capped player in international history, described the Rugby World Cup defence as "the mountain we want to climb", but "The Bledisloe means a hell of a lot".
"Sports's a funny old thing. Last week we were on the receiving end of it, but in true style of what it means to be an All Black we [regrouped] to put a performance together."
Wallabies captain Stephen Moore said Australia were "just outclassed".
"I thought the effort was OK, but we just fell off too many tackles. We were right in the game at half-time but just weren't good enough in the second half. Really disappointing. We defended pretty well, we were pretty physical in the first half, but when they went up a gear in the second half we were found wanting."
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika said Australia "just made too many mistakes and there was a period there where we kicked the ball away a bit too much; and those mistakes hurt us".
"I thought we didn't improve from last week," Cheika said. "They did. And away from home you're going to feel that pain."
"There was a certain period in the middle part of that game we needed to keep the ball a bit more, play a bit more. Even in our own half and in the conditions, just to keep the ball and let our blokes have a go at breaking the line. They're the decisions you make in a game. I thought our lads played it right out to the finish. I know we took a bit of a tonking on the score, but they showed a lot of heart.
"When we did turn the ball over, we just scrambled a bit too hard made a few mistakes on tackles; we could have shut some things down but that's the way it goes."
And then in 2011, the All Blacks are looking to break the 24 year hoodoo or should I say jinx when they faced the French in the Rugby World Cup final:
It is over. The 24-year drought since the All Blacks last won the Rugby World Cup has finally been broken with an 8-7 win over France at Eden Park.
It was not the free-flowing, interlinking game that had seen off Australia in the semi-final but it was enough to end what has seemed like an eternity for a team that regularly sets the benchmark for rugby excellence.
Their hero was reserve first five-eighth Stephen 'Beaver' Donald, an unlikely figure who was not chosen for New Zealand’s original squad but joined them after the All Blacks’ 2nd-choice No.10 Colin 'Sladey' Slade was forced to withdraw with a groin injury.
Donald was only on the field because starting first five-eighth Aaron Cruden, himself called up to replace the injured Daniel/Dan 'DC' Carter, went off with a knee injury six minutes before the interval.
Yet he held his nerve in his first RWC match to score the winning points in the 46th minute with a crucial penalty that gave his side breathing space. Although New Zealand retained their 5-0 half-time lead, Piri Weepu had missed eight points with the boot and France were threatening to make a comeback.
New Zealand had gone ahead with a 15th-minute try from prop Tony ''Woody'' Woodcock that had appeared to stall a strong start from the French.
Flanker Jerome Kaino took a lineout at the tail and dropped it into Woodcock’s grasp just as he was charging through the gap left by France’s forwards.
Graham Henry’s reaction to the score said it all. The New Zealand head coach simply patted forwards coach Steve Hansen on the shoulder in acknowledgement of a training-ground move planned to perfection
But France were never going to roll over and a minute after Donald had extended the lead to eight points, skipper Thierry Dusautoir brought them into touching distance with a try that François Trinh-Duc converted.
It was the first try by a team captain in a RWC Final since David Kirk's for New Zealand in 1987 and France continued to threaten by sending the ball wide, where centres Maxime Mermoz and Aurélien Rougerie regularly broke the gain line.
With Trinh-Duc on the field as a replacement for makeshift first five-eighth Morgan Parra, France had more shape and he continued to turn New Zealand around with deft kicks behind their defence that allowed Les Bleus to stay on the attack.
It was at this point that New Zealand’s refusal to be beaten shone through. They threw themselves into tackles and at the breakdown, their attacking intentions put on hold as protecting their lead became the overriding priority.
Even Israel 'Izzy' Dagg, a player who has lit up RWC 2011 with his counter-attacking and broken field running, was content to wallop the ball into the stands rather than run the risk of a turnover close to his own line when he took possession deep in his own half.
With 5 minutes left, New Zealand’s defence stood firm as they stopped France over 15 phases near the halfway line. That they did not give away a penalty was testament to the mutual trust and discipline that has been instilled in the players under Henry’s leadership.
When the All Blacks finally got their hands on the ball they were content to run down the clock and return to rugby’s summit nearly a quarter of a century on from the last time they occupied that lofty height.
And so, onto the 2015 Rugby World Cup as the All Blacks quest to defend the William Webb Ellis cup begins as they face Argentina in their opener at Wembley Stadium:
It was far from straightforward. Captain Richie McCaw was booed after being sin-binned and for just a fleeting moment there was even the tiniest suspicion that another Rugby World Cup sensation could be on the cards before New Zealand finally flexed their muscles to launch their defence with a 26-16 win over Argentina.
With this thunderous, if mistake-riddled, game about to enter its final quarter, Argentina were still leading 16-12 after a tremendous team performance full of spirit, skill and defensive ferocity to match their passionate sky blue support amid the record World Cup crowd of 89,019.
The rusty, ill-disciplined All Blacks had been rocked, at one point having being reduced to 13 men just before half-time and with their totem McCaw having been despatched to the bench for what English referee Wayne Barnes - no stranger to World Cup controversy with the All Blacks - and the crowd felt was a cynical trip on Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe.
Surely, there couldn’t be a second seismic result in the space of 24 hours after Japan’s miraculous 34-32 win over the Springboks?
Not with these remarkable champions, though. Not with a team who have lost just three of their last 48 matches.
After butchering a couple of golden chances to retake the lead, the real All Blacks finally re-emerged in the last 20 minutes with two tries from Aaron Smith and Sam Cane allied to the ever-secure boot of Dan Carter, who landed all his six kicks at goal, seeing them home on the opening leg of their quest to become the first team to successfully defend the title.
It all left New Zealand coach Steve Hansen delighted to see a vast improvement from his men near the end but unimpressed by the “dumb” yellow cards for McCaw and Conrad Smith.
Hansen reflected: “I’m very happy with our guys who showed a lot of fortitude. They haven’t played for five weeks and we’ll improve from that.”
It was a vibrant game, played amid a fantastic, colorful atmosphere for the first-ever full rugby international to be staged at England’s home of football/soccer since its rebuild, and yet all the drama on a balmy afternoon had begun with what had appeared to only be routine All Black excellence, as the New Zealanders started menacingly while forcing the under-pressure Pumas into indiscretions.
When blindside flanker Pablo Matera was sent to the bin after just 10 minutes for a professional foul to stop Aaron Smith profiting from a quick penalty, Carter slotted home the second of three early penalties and the champions appeared to be sailing.
Suddenly, though, at 9-0 down, Argentina rallied from seemingly nowhere, Juan Imhoff weaving down the left before Argentina’s big men powered on through the phases leaving 20-year-old Guido Petti to burrow over for an ecstatically greeted score. He was the youngest try scorer in Argentina’s World Cup history.
New Zealand appeared as rattled as the inspired Pumas, with their old magician Juan Martin 'El Mago' Hernandez getting everyone to their feet with some wonderful sleights of hand and probing kicks and their pack earning a penalty with one spectacular macho push.
Then, sensation. McCaw, who had already been pinged a couple of times by Barnes, the man all New Zealanders still blame for refereeing them out of the 2007 World Cup, was immediately shown yellow by the English official. He was ruled to have stuck his leg out while on the floor to deliberately stop Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe from powering away.
The pro-Argentinian crowd booed long and loud when McCaw, looking a slightly worried man, had his face shown on the big screen as he sat on the bench. Worse was to come for the All Blacks when Conrad Smith, just before half-time, was shown yellow for going off his feet to stop an Argentina attack.
The All Blacks captain scolded himself after receiving only his third yellow card in 143 tests, admitting afterwards that his offence was a “dumb” one, a “reflex action” which put his team in difficulty.
Sanchez’s 2 penalties from the McCaw and Smith offences gave Argentina a 13-9 lead but carelessly they gave another penalty away just before the interval for Carter to narrow the gap to one, 13-12, at the interval.
Yet Argentina picked up the mood again after the break, their early thrusting attacks earning Sanchez another penalty to stretch their lead but when restored to 15 and with Sonny Bill 'SBW' Williams (Tim Nanai-Williams's cousin & he doesn't have a brother named LBW (Leg Before Wicket) making a major impact off the bench in place of Ma’a 'Skux' Nonu, the champions at last began to take control.
Nehe Milner-Skudder, freed by a superb Williams offload, dropped the ball with the try line at his mercy but after sustained pressure Aaron Smith finally darted away from a ruck through his scrum-half opponent Tomas Cubelli to score.
Then, with the Pumas beginning to retreat under the pressure, the All Blacks looked relieved to see replacement Cane finally seal the deal in the 67th minute with the ninth try for his country. It may not have been a true statement of intent but the All Blacks machine is up and running and Hansen warned: “We’re on the scoreboard and can move on and look forward to our next game with confidence.”
And after the match against Argentina (The day after Japan knocked over the Springboks in the biggest boil over in Rugby World Cup history (And man, South Africa are having their worst nightmares after their loss against the Japanese by 2 points in one of the greatest upsets & famous victories of all time in the history of the World Cup as the headline will probably say: THE NIPPON EXPRESS TRIUMPH, NIGHTMARE FOR THE BOKS) as well as hosts England failed to advance on their home ground advantage after losing to both opponents the Wallabies & Wales (And the headline will also probably say: ENGLAND ARE GONERS ON THEIR HOME TURF), the All Blacks notched up wins against their pool opponents such as Namibia, Georgia & Tonga before advancing to the quarterfinals but can you believe it! We are taking on France again in a rematch of the ill fated 2007 Rugby World Cup Quarterfinal showdown in Cardiff (And was it a forward pass by Damian Traille on Frederic Michalak which led to the try being scored by Yannick Jauzion? I would say yes my friend/oui mon ami because the referee from England, Wayne Barnes missed it that cost us a place in the semifinal against England who had just beaten Australia):
Julian Savea (Brother of 'The Pineapple/The Pineapple Express' Ardie Savea & scored a hat trick on test debut against Ireland in 2012 at Eden Park) helped himself to a hat-trick at the Millennium Stadium as New Zealand eased into the semi-finals of Rugby World Cup 2015 with a 9 try demolition of France.
4 1st half tries and five more after the interval paved the way for a consummate 62-13 victory that left France to lament a performance littered with errors and inaccuracy.
Having shown only brief glimpses of their capability in the pool stages of the tournament, New Zealand began with a spring in their step and took the lead courtesy of Dan Carter's fifth-minute penalty.
Full-back Scott Spedding levelled matters with a penalty from inside his own half four minutes later, but when the unpredictable Frederic Michalak loitered too long with ball in hand and had his 11th-minute clearance kick charged down by big Brodie 'Guzzler' Retallick (Culum's cousin who is a successor of Brad Thorn), the Kiwi lock gathered and galloped clear to touch down for the opening try.
Michalak limped off as Carter converted and France were forced into an early substitution. It was a genuine double-whammy.
When halfback Morgan Parra cut the deficit to four points with a straightforward penalty in the 15th minute, though, French hopes were lifted once more.
It should have been better still but the normally reliable Parra scuffed his next shot at goal and the All Blacks were off the hook.
Coach Steve Hansen had faced questions in midweek over his selection of Nehe Milner-Skudder ahead of the prodigious Waisake Naholo (Who went to Wanganui City College & played for Whanganui in 2009 only as Waisake Ratunideuba before moving to Taranaki in 2011 & played for the Blues & Highlanders in Super Rugby & after that impressive Super Rugby season with the Highlanders last year by winning the Super 15 title against the Hurricanes at Westpac Stadium in Wellington, he managed to earn selection for the All Blacks when he made his debut against Argentina at AMI Stadium in Christchurch but unfortunately for him as his foot got injured as he was replaced meaning that he is out of the 2015 Rugby World Cup due to foot injury but he managed to get selected for the Rugby World Cup squad but he was fit & available for the pool match against Georgia at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff & scored the opening try of the match in their 43 - 10 victory). When the 24-year-old wing stepped inside off his right foot (Remember that Milner-Skudder is known for his sidestepping ability as well as his footwork) and outstripped the France defence to score one of the individual tries of the tournament, Hansen was well and truly vindicated.
Carter converted and moments later produced a moment of genius to send in Savea. The outside half picked a hole between Pascal Pape and Louis Picamoles before popping up the most sublime scoring pass from the back of his hand.
France did grab a lifeline five minutes before the interval when, after concerted pressure, Picamoles swept up a bouncing ball in the New Zealand 22 and fought off all-comers to score a try that Parra duly converted. Their joy was short-lived.
Having retained possession after a towering Carter up-and-under, New Zealand chose to go left where the irrepressible Savea bumped off 3 tacklers to score his second of the night. This time Carter was unable to convert.
After 6 relatively uneventful minutes at the beginning of the 2nd half, a free-for-all involving at least a dozen players ended with Picamoles being shown a yellow card for putting his fist in Richie McCaw's face.
With New Zealand buoyed by their numerical advantage, Jerome Kaino extinguished any flickering French embers with try number 5. Savea made it 6, with a try on the hour to match his hat-trick against Georgia, and Kieran Read added a seventh with 16 minutes remaining.
By now the French were offering little resistance and replacement halfback Tawera 'TKB' Kerr-Barlow brought up New Zealand's half century of points with their eighth try. His second, four minutes later, was equally impressive and with Carter slotting conversions from all angles, the All Blacks were just three points short of eclipsing their biggest margin of victory over France, 51 points in 2007.
Ma'a Nonu blew the chance to set a new mark when he coughed up possession as he reached for the line, but by then the world champions had progressed comfortably into the last four. It was a job very well done.
And after prevailing France, the All Blacks advanced through to the semi finals where they faced the Springboks in an encounter at Twickenham:
Flanker Jerome Kaino and replacement back Beauden 'Beaudy' Barrett (Brother of Kane, Jordie & Scott & one of 2 All Blacks along with Sir John 'JK' Kirwan to score tries in both the semifinal & final of the Rugby World Cup) scored tries as defending champions New Zealand battled their way to a 20-18 victory over South Africa in the rain to reach their fourth Rugby World Cup final on Saturday.
Despite dominating most of the possession and territory in a tight, physical game, the All Blacks were forced to endure a nervous last quarter at Twickenham after five penalties from Springbok first five-eighth Handre Pollard and another kick from his replacement, Patrick Lambie, kept them under pressure until the final whistle.
First five-eighth Dan Carter kicked 10 points to complete a deserved victory for the All Blacks, who lifted the Webb Ellis Cup in 1987 and 2011 and were runners-up to the Springboks in 1995. In the final, on 31 October at Twickenham, they will play the winner of Sunday’s 2nd semi-final between Australia and Argentina.
In sharp contrast to their flamboyant 62-13 destruction of France in the quarter-finals, this was a performance of New Zealand forward power and defensive strength. At times, though, South Africa’s relentless physical play threatened to win the day as the All Blacks found themselves repeatedly penalised for indiscipline at the breakdown.
Above all, the All Blacks proved their character in their toughest encounter so far after a largely straightforward run to the last four.
After trailing the Springboks 12-7 at half-time, New Zealand took control of the game in the second half. Their determination to keep alive their hopes of winning the Cup for the first time away from home was clearly on view during the half-time interval.
Instead of spending all of the break in the changing rooms, the All Blacks came out five minutes before they needed to and went through drills on the pitch in the rain.
The All Blacks had enjoyed the majority of the play in the first period and scored a try in the seventh minute, when Kaino skillfully plucked a high pass from captain Richie McCaw out of the air and crashed over near the right-hand corner flag.
But the Springboks were winning the aerial battle and defended superbly. When South Africa did make progress into the New Zealand half, All Black indiscipline at the breakdown gave Pollard the opportunity to slot over penalties. He put over four in the first half to keep South Africa ahead.
With the rain pouring down, the All Blacks were forced to start the second half with 14 men after Kaino was sent to the sin bin for a deliberate offside just before the break. But New Zealand produced an intense period of pressure and, after a Carter drop goal, centre Ma’a Nonu fed replacement utility back Barrett to dive in at the left-hand corner in the 52nd minute.
Carter converted from the touchline to give the All Blacks a 17-12 lead while South Africa lost their prolific try-scorer Bryan Habana to the sin bin for a deliberate knockdown. Pollard replied with a penalty but another kick from Carter kept the All Blacks ahead 20-15 entering the final quarter.
Pollard was forced to leave the field with an injury in the 65th minute and was replaced by Patrick 'Pat' Lambie, who quickly narrowed the deficit to 20-18 with a penalty. But the All Blacks continued to keep the Springboks under pressure and deserved their victory, for determination alone.
And so, onto the Rugby World Cup final of 2015 where 2 traditional Trans Tasman rivals the All Blacks took on the Wallabies in the battle of Twickenham to decide who will lift the William Webb Ellis trophy:
New Zealand withstood a rousing Australian fightback to secure a 34-17 victory in the Rugby World Cup final and claim a historic third Webb Ellis Cup.
A magical individual try from second five-eighth Ma’a Nonu and the composed boot of veteran first five-eighth Dan Carter helped steer the All Blacks to their 2nd successive title.
Nonu scored one of the finest individual tries of RWC 2015 with a weaving run from 40 metres out at the start of the 2nd half, as New Zealand ran in 3 tries in the most entertaining final in the 28-year history of the tournament.
Just as the Wallabies were threatening to complete an astonishing comeback in the second half after battling back from 21-3 behind to 21-17 with two quick tries in succession, Carter put over a crucial drop goal from 40 metres. The first five-eighth then slotted over a huge penalty kick from the half-way line as the All Blacks became the first team to defend the Webb Ellis Cup successfully.
Both players were playing their last game for New Zealand, as was Richie McCaw, who became the first All Blacks captain to lift the World Cup on foreign soil after their victories at home in 1987 and 2011.
Carter, who missed out of New Zealand's 2011 final triumph because of a serious groin injury, kicked a total of 19 points while winger Nehe Milner-Skudder and replacement Beauden Barrett added the other tries for the All Blacks.
The Wallabies 2nd-half comeback was fueled by tries from number eight David Pocock and centre Tevita Kuridrani, while first five-eighth Bernard Foley put over seven points with the boot.
It was not enough to prevent the All Blacks from sealing a deserved victory that makes them the most successful team in World Cup history, ahead of Australia (1991 & 99) and South Africa (1995 & 2007) who have both won the tournament twice (Although England won it once because it was way back in 2003).
New Zealand dominated territory and possession in the first half but the Wallaby defence, which had played a major role in their progression to the final, withstood the pressure well, restricting the All Blacks to a 9-3 lead courtesy of three Carter penalties.
But with 39 minutes on the clock, Steve Hansen's side got their reward when Milner-Skudder touched down after a superb move from 20 metres out. Centre Conrad Smith, also retiring from international rugby after the final, ran a perfect line and cleverly switched the ball with Aaron Smith. The scrum-half then timed his pass outside to McCaw who fed Milner-Skudder to score near the right-hand corner.
Carter converted to give the All Blacks a 16-3 lead, and the All Black triumph seemed to be sealed just after the restart with Nonu’s piece of brilliance.
Sonny Bill Williams, who had been on the field for a matter of seconds as a half-time replacement for Conrad Smith, produced a slick overhead offload to Nonu just over the half-way line and the centre sprinted past a handful of Wallaby players to touch down to the left of the posts.
Leading 21-3, the All Blacks then faced a Wallaby comeback after losing full-back Ben Smith to the sin-bin for a dangerous tackle on Australia wing Drew Mitchell 10 minutes into the second half.
Australia ran in two tries while Smith was off the field, the first coming after they produced one of their classic rolling mauls off the back of a lineout for number eight Pocock to score.
Kuridrani then crashed over near the posts after Foley gathered a kick from Will Genia down the right-hand touchline and passed inside to the centre to score.
But with 10 minutes to go, and the All Blacks slim 21-17 lead looking in danger, the 33-year-old Carter stepped up to slot home a crucial drop goal from the half-way line, before adding another 3-pointer from the tee that effectively settled the contest.
With 2 minutes remaining, New Zealand got their third try after Smith broke away from his own 22 and put ahead a kick from the half-way line, which Barrett in turn kicked ahead and then gathered to score. It was a superb piece of individual control to cap a tournament the All Blacks have controlled collectively (And I wonder the headlines would probably say: AND THE AB'S, ARE BACK TO BACK WORLD CHAMPIONS or more like: THE RWC, IS STILL, NEW ZEALAND'S CUP).
And 2 words to enjoy the documentary Chasing Great compared to Star Wars: The Force Awakens: Cocanium and magic because it is not a bad sports documentary film either, sensational stuff but there are several interesting parts including his flying experience as well as his family time & his affair with field hockey player Gemma Flynn (Who is now Gemma McCaw because she is married now as of today) & flashbacks including watching the Rugby World Cup final in 1987 (And I wonder the headlines would probably say after the AB's first triumphed at a RWC against France in the final: THE RWC, IS NOW NEW ZEALAND'S CUP) & writing down a plan in 1998 at a fast food restaurant in Timaru in search of aspirations of becoming an All Black because he originally was going to make the All Blacks in 2004 & also wrote down G.A.B (Which means Great All Black) but he instead made his debut in 2001 against Ireland when he was selected for the tour of Ireland (Which featured Brian O'Driscoll), Scotland & Argentina (Although world famous footballer/soccer player Diego Armando Maradona was a spectator) but he ended up getting his man of the match honors on debut & he fondly remembers the late Jonah Lomu (Well, the Springboks had no idea of stopping Lomu way back in the 1995 Rugby World Cup final & when Jonah scored twice in the 1999 Rugby World Cup semifinal (But in 1999, the All Blacks took on rivals and eventual runners up France (Who lost to the eventual champions Australia) in the semifinal but nek minute, they were torn sky blast apart from the French who enjoyed an insane amount of rugby during the 2nd half), the French ran out of ideas of stopping him so they focused on Plan B instead which was a resounding success because they were on a points scoring spree) a lot because Lomu was truly the global superstar of world rugby when several fans approached him for a signature in Ireland just days before the test match was held.
So that is it for my 22nd blog of the year, we will look forward to catching you up soon.
P.S. The All Blacks team to face Argentina (Well, the last meeting between the 2 teams was last year in a Rugby World Cup Pool C game at Wembley but the All Blacks have beaten Argentina before going on to win every Rugby World Cup title in 1987, 2011 & 2015) at FMG Waikato Stadium in the Tron was named with 1 change in the starting XV as Ryan Crotty returns from injury replacing Anton Lienert-Brown (Well Lienert-Brown became All Black No.1153 when he made his test debut against the Wallabies in Wellington (Well it was Hansen time not Cheika time), piece of cake) who has dropped to the bench replacing the poorly performed Seta Tamanivalu as changes come round on the bench as Levin born Codie Taylor who returns from a head knock in the Sydney test replacing James Parsons as well as Luke Romano replaces Liam Squire for the time being as lock cover but TJ Perenara preferred as replacement halfback ahead of Tawera Kerr-Barlow so here's the starting lineup for the test this Saturday (Although the All Blacks might claim another big scalp against Argentina after both Wales & Australia have fallen victim to the so called #Blackout in 2016 but Argentina may be the next to go & of course, Argentina have never beaten the All Blacks before but they had a draw way back in 1985 at Buenos Aires):
1 (Loose head prop): Joe Moody (Canterbury/Crusaders)
2 (Hooker): Dane Coles (Wellington/Hurricanes)
3 (Tight head prop): Owen Franks (Canterbury/Crusaders)
4 (Lock): Brodie Retallick (Hawke's Bay/Chiefs)
5 (Lock): Sam Whitelock (Canterbury/Crusaders)
6 (Blindside Flanker): Jerome Kaino (Auckland/Blues)
7 (Openside Flanker): Sam Cane (Bay of Plenty/Chiefs)
8 (Number 8): Kieran Read (Captain, Canterbury/Crusaders)
9 (Half-back): Aaron Smith (Manawatu/Highlanders)
10 (First five eighth): Beauden Barrett (Taranaki/Hurricanes)
11 (Left Wing): Julian Savea (Wellington/Hurricanes)
12 (Second five eighth): Ryan Crotty (Canterbury/Crusaders)
13 (Centre): Malakai Fekitoa (Auckland/Highlanders)
14 (Right Wing): Israel Dagg (Hawke's Bay/Crusaders)
& 15 (Fullback): Ben Smith (Otago/Highlanders)
And in the reserves are Codie Taylor, Wyatt Crockett, Charlie Faumuina, Luke Romano, Ardie Savea, TJ Perenara, Aaron Cruden & Anton Lienert-Brown.
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