Sports After Dark

Two of Graham Henry’s most debated policies, rotation and reconditioning, are beginning to bear fruit and prove the detractors wrong.

It devalues the jersey, they cried when the rotation policy began. Wrapping the players in cotton wool, they wailed when reconditioning was announced. But the win over the Springboks last weekend shows Henry’s long term plan is working.

Perhaps the more controversial of the two, the reconditioning program saw 22 top All Blacks miss the first seven rounds of Super 14 to work on their strength and conditioning without taking the knocks of full competition. The media and fans panned this decision, claiming that professional players are paid to play rugby, not work out.

Against a second-string French team and the second-tier Canadians it was expected that the All Blacks would have a far superior level of fitness, but against the Springboks few expected the South Africans to run out of steam. With ten minutes to go the All Blacks were able to lift the tempo of the game and score the winning try while to Boks were unable to keep up.

A rotation policy has been used in a number of sports with varying levels of success. New Zealand rugby fans have been reluctant to embrace the current All Blacks rotation, possible due to having much smaller squads years ago. Claims of devaluing the jersey and disrespecting tradition were thrown around after poor performances, but after a convincing win against a tough opponent, very little has been said about rotation.

Aside from the locks, the All Blacks side which took the field against the Springboks was probably the top 15, yet every single player on the reserves bench slotted in perfectly when called upon. In fact, any of the reserves would not have been out of place in the starting line-up, something which few international teams can claim.

Rotation also makes it easier for the team to deal with injuries that can strike at any time. The 2003 World Cup campaign was derailed early on when Tana Umaga was injured in a pool game, and without the veteran player the All Blacks folded in the semi finals. This season the All Blacks are already carrying a number of injuries such as centre Conrad Smith, locks Ali Williams and Keith Robinson but have continued on seemingly without missing a beat.

The rumours were flying around that South Africa would undertake their own reconditioning program during the last two rounds of the Tri-Nations, and these rumours were confirmed when 20 top Springboks were omitted from the touring party. But this could be an error on the part of Springbok management as when the All Blacks returned to Super 14, many of them looked rusty and took several weeks before they were back to their best.

All Blacks management have shown they have a plan and are prepared to stick to it, regardless of what outsiders might say. So far the first two R’s in their plan are working, and will give them the edge as they strive for the third R: Regaining the Rugby World Cup.

Similar Posts:

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• Adaptablity and nous the keys to Springboks’ triumph
• And so the autopsy of the All Blacks’ campaign begins
• Travel a major factor in All Blacks’ loss
• Look out Super 14, the All Blacks are back!

The Henry’s master plan by Hamish McBrearty, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.