The contenders’ keys to victory: New Zealand
Posted by Hamish McBrearty on August 7th, 2007
In today’s instalment of the Keys to Victory, Hamish McBrearty takes a look at the what the World Cup favourites must do if they are to claim the William Webb Ellis trophy. After a successful Tri-Nations campaign, only minor adjustments need to be made for this team to end New Zealand’s World Cup drought.
For the first time since 1995 the All Blacks go into the World Cup as the clear favourites, not just contenders. Their recent victories over the Wallabies and Springboks showed their defence is just about water tight, holding both teams tryless, but also revealed their much vaunted back line is still yet to click.
1. Richie McCaw. As much as New Zealand fans hate to admit it, McCaw is one player the All Blacks cannot afford to be without. Currently the best in the world at his position, his dominance at the breakdown as well as his tireless tackling around the field is one of the main reasons the All Black forward pack is so good. His understudy, Chris Masoe, is still very much untested as an international flanker, so McCaw must stay healthy and on the field to give the All Blacks a chance at the prize.
2. Half-backs. The dropping of Piri Weepu from the World Cup Squad has been debated endlessly in New Zealand, but the difference in the play of the entire back line against South Africa after he was replaced was remarkable. With good service from half-back, the All Black back line is very dangerous, without it they struggle against top opposition. The current half backs, Byron Kelleher, Brendan Leonard and Andy Ellis, will need to provide the backs with quality ball, or an exit like that of 2003 could be on the cards.
3. Dan Carter. On his day, Carter is capable of beating any team in the world virtually on his own. In the third test of the 2005 British Lions tour, he carved up the opposition with moments of individual brilliance that left the entire stadium gasping in awe. Of course nobody expects Carter to win the World Cup single-handedly, but his play will be crucial to the All Blacks’ success.
4. Wingers. If the All Black forward pack can dominate, the backs get good service and Carter find holes in the defense, it will be up to the wingers to put the finishing touches on their attacking raids. Although they have lacked chances in recent outings, the ability of Joe Rokocoko, Doug Howlett and Sitavini Sivivatu to find the goal line is unquestioned, and if they find it, everyone else at the World Cup beware.
When the All Blacks went to the 2003 Rugby World Cup, their then coach John Mitchell referred to “The Journey”. While that expression has not been used, mainly due to its association with that disastrous campaign, this is a journey. Phase one against France and Canada showed the team’s potential, phase two in the Tri-Nations showed they can handle the big game pressure, it just remains to be seen how phase three will end.
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- All Blacks look to exploit Springbok weaknesses
- All Blacks overcome shaky start to win Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup
- Winners and losers from All Black squad naming
The The contenders’ keys to victory: New Zealand by Hamish McBrearty, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
