New Zealand Dominance
Dominance in sport is unusual a team may be able to dominate for a certain period of time like Spain who up to this year’s World Cup dominated every major tournament since the 2008 European Championships. But no one team has had a vice like grip on any one sport like New Zealand have had in the sport of Rugby Union.
They have won two World Cups in 1987 and again in 2011 on home soil after many near misses in between. People often ask what the secret is, but as is always the case it is very simple they work hard on the basics of the game until they perfect them. Rugby Union of course dominates the New Zealand landscape and it goes so deep down in New Zealand that people’s moods are dictated by the result at the weekend.
New Zealand culture has always fascinated yours truly and of course their achievements on a rugby field have to be commended and rewarded. They are born winners and they certainly do not settle for second best. They are never happy, They must be one of the only teams in world sport who can beat a team by 40 or 50 points and not be happy with that performance. That cannot be thought that to me is an in-built function of the New Zealand mind set.
They were seen a chokers from 1987 until 2011. In that period they could not make their dominance in between World Cups count. They were beaten at every turn by far more focused teams , it was as if all they felt they had to do was turn up and the win was on the board. That particular trait is great in theory but you need to be able to back up the confidence with results and trophies.
Until Graham Henry took New Zealand on they were never going to cross that bridge between winners and has beens. Look at the 2005 Lions tour where they dispatched that Lions team with ruthless aggression and no less skill. Lets not forget that squad was full of World Cup winners from 2003.
Also Clive Woodward was the coach on that tour and before that tour he would have been regarded as the World’s best coach but in the aftermath of that tour his reputation was in shreds and Graham Henry ‘s name was on everyone’s lips even though he had coached Wales and also the 2001 Lions Tour of Australia.
He of course was the man to mastermind that 2011 World Cup win and you take one look at the players at his disposal throughout that period , He had Mc Caw , Carter , Nonu , Marshall , Brad Thorn just to name 5 men that he could call upon. These men don’t know what it is to lose wearing that famous black fern. That must give you real confidence and some may say it gives you a cockiness that helps you when things are tight in a game.
Think back to Brian O Driscoll’s statement in 2005 that New Zealand rugby players are like robots , They can do plan A but if they need to change can they implement plan B. That question has been answered on a number of occasions in recent times.
They were about to lose to Ireland back in November 2013 for the first time but they used that now well known resolve and their core skills to create a try from deep to see them level and then knock over the extra two to seal the game and go unbeaten in a season 14 from 14.
Can Ireland learn from this particular team and become as ruthless and as efficient as this group of All Blacks. It is not only the senior team that are this ruthless. There under 20s team are the same and the women are that way aswell. They never settle for 2nd best and for that reason New Zealand will continue to dominate rugby union for years to come.
By
Cian Mc Gibney.
24/06/2014.
