By RUPERT GUINNESS – SMH
When All Blacks coach Graham Henry arrived in Sydney for the Test against the Wallabies on Saturday, he said that both sides were ”desperate”.
What he forgot to reveal – and what the All Blacks reminded everyone of yesterday – was vital point of difference: they are also paranoid.
Not only did they make their first training session of the week at North Sydney Oval closed for all but the first 15 minutes – as they all will be this week – team management has also employed a team of half-a-dozen security guards to escort media in and out of the grounds and observe them during the short window of time allowed (while allowing Kiwi media to remain) and to also make sure the the fans couldn’t enter either.
The Wallabies might have their problems after two straight losses, but they have not yet reached the level of paranoia at which they feel the need to close training sessions to the public.
The Kiwis’ antics immediately brought to mind the warning of All Blacks assistant coach Steve Hansen last year, after New Zealand beat Australia in Brisbane. He unleashed the allegation – that was totally denied by all parties – that a Channel Seven television crew had passed on video footage from a closed session to the Wallabies.
”It’ll reflect back next time we’re here, and it’s going to be difficult for people to watch us train, I suppose,” Hansen said.
Gone yesterday were the handshakes, smiles and bonhomie shown when the All Blacks arrived in Sydney on Sunday. In was the siege mentality.
After being ushered into one of the northern stands, the media was entertained with a display of security tightness that could easily have left one wondering if there was a bigger danger afoot than the mere possibility that one of us might actually see the All Blacks run one of their combinations.
We can confirm from inside sources that Dan Carter did later run in his cherished five-eighth slot. Even had he run at No.10 while the media was there, it might have gone unnoticed so entertaining was the chorus line of radio exchanges among the All Blacks’ security team that ultimately led to the forced departure of all but the ”privileged” New Zealand media after the side had only warmed up.
”I’ll check on the roof,” said one guard. ”Who’s that over there?” said another. ”We’ll go and check” said a third as he and a colleague scouted the eastern perimeter of the oval. ”How did those guys get up there,” said one more as he saw two suspects in the southern stand who were caught.
One guard was a step out of order when he told two print journalists to zip-off as they watched training from outside the southern gates. ”You have to move along,” he said. Then when told they were standing on a public footpath, he added: ”I understand that. It’ a private session.”
Ad Feedback Tales of skulduggery abound whenever sides tour South Africa, but more often they are now met with a laugh than the bleat of foul play.
Not with the All Blacks, who only recently claimed the Springboks had spied on them in South Africa in a bid to crack their lineout.
Even if it were true, barring the media and fans from training and employing professional enforcers to do the job is not the answer.
What is? Lightening up might help, for starters.
The North Sydney Oval is less than a km from where I work, I’m going to pull on my Springbok balaclava and see if I can sell them any biltong.
Wear your high heels and tell them you family of Bakkies…
And after selling them the biltong I’ll sing “Wake up to little Suzi, wake up”
@Manlybok – Is that after you’ve recovered from the concussion inflicted by security? 🙂
Jim T,
I’ll just tell them I’m French and theyll all head for the plane home.
@Manlybok – Now that’s downright wicked 🙂
Yep, when Princess reads this I reckon I might find a horses head in my bed.
7 Manly
I wouldnt do that to the horse – someone might report me to the RSPCA ! 😯
@Manlybok – At the very least. Second thoughts we’ll put the whole horse in there 🙂
@Rugby_Princess – How did the budget review go?
@Rugby_Princess – Worse still they might set PETA on you 🙂
10 Jimmy
Well, Manly phoned an Expense threat in & so we evacuated …
11 Jimmy
PETA … People Eating Tasty Animals ?
@Rugby_Princess – Ha, ha I like that one 🙂
@Rugby_Princess – You should laugh. PETA have just started a campaign to scare kids eating Happy Meals at McDonalds. They tell them about how the animals are killed. Nasty stuff 🙁
15 Jimmy
What they SHOULD do is explain MacDonald’s bullying business practices to them – that would scare them more ! 😯
@Rugby_Princess – I feel another America bashing session coming & I only came for the beer 🙁
Not to mention thet Big Mac in a museum somewhere thats years old and unchanged.
that
@Rugby_Princess – Think I’d better leave you alone, so you can get some work done. Someone has got to keep the old casino afloat 🙂
@Manlybok – Hey, they sold that the other day to an unsuspecting customer 🙂
17 Jimmy
what do you care – you Oirish !
18 Manly
Is not a problem – they are pretend food anyway !
I’ve always wondered why the queue at Maccers always look like extra’s from Michael Jacksons “Thriller”, or the waiting room at hospitals “emergencies”
23 Manly
Pretend food for pretend people 🙂
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