South Africa might currently have the World Cup and the tri-nations title and been voted the 2009 IRB Team of the Year – but there can be little doubt New Zealand have been the Team of the Decade despite missing out on two World Cups won by England (2003) and South Africa (2007) respectively.
In fact, the Boks are only ranked fifth on win percentage in this time, despite having the next best number of wins after New Zealand.
The Springboks’ low winning percentage stems from the lean years between 2000 and 2003, when they won only 23 and drew one of their 46 Tests.
England’s strong stats come largely from the same period when under Clive Woodward they won just about everything they contested.
The Boks played the most Tests (125) winning 76 for a 60,8% win ratio. New Zealand played 122 Tests and won exactly 100 for an 82% win ratio.
That equates to 10 Tests won per year from an average total of 12,2 Tests played in each of the 10 years.
The All Blacks underlined their supremacy over the period by also scoring 133 more tries than the next best attacking side, Australia.
New Zealand scored 526 tries (4,31 per Test) compared to the 393 of Australia (3,20 per Test) and South Africa’s 384 (ave.3,1). Argentina, with only 85 Tests played, averaged 3,7 tries per Test.
The All Blacks beat the Springboks in 16 of the 24 Tests played during the decade – and four of the eight Bok wins came with Peter de Villiers as national coach, three of them this year.
It is interesting to note De Villiers has the second best winning ration of any Bok coach after Nick Mallett.
During the decade, New Zealand averaged Test scores of 36-16.
Yes, the All Blacks were the best and most consistent over the decade and won almost 60 % of their matches against the Boks despite this year’s three consecutive losses.
But they still don’t have the World Cup, and interestingly Ireland, second on winning percentages, also have an inferior competition (Six Nations and world Cup) record to France, who are only fourth on the list.
The All Blacks will host the 2011 Rugby World cup and it has yet to be seen whether home advantage will aid the All Blacks in their world cup quest or whether it will add further pressure on them which could lead to another slip up.
Whatever happens in the next decade the All Blacks will have three chances to become World cup Champions (2011 in NZ, 2015 in England and 2019 in Japan).
The following statistics were obtained from NZPA:
(played, won, drawn, lost , points for and against, tries, average win ratio):
New Zealand 122 100 1 21 4436 1920 526 82.0
Ireland 111 72 2 37 3076 2097 343 64.9
England 115 72 0 43 3320 2125 353 62.6
France 119 73 2 44 3283 2403 340 61.3
South Africa 125 76 2 47 3570 2663 384 60.8
Australia 123 74 3 46 3443 2254 393 60.2
Argentina 85 51 1 33 2696 1734 314 60.0
Wales 117 55 3 59 3160 2900 345 47.0
Scotland 104 39 1 64 2139 2541 211 37.5
Italy 111 31 1 79 2218 3357 215 27.9
World Cup winners:
2003: England.
2007: South Africa
Tri-Nations winners:
New Zealand 6,
South Africa 2,
Australia 2
Six Nations winners:
France 4,
England 3,
Wales 2,
Ireland 1
PLAYERS
Most tests this decade:
110: George Smith (Australia)
99: John Hayes (Ireland/Lions)
97: Chris Paterson (Scotland)
95: Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland/Lions), Ronan O’Gara (Ireland/Lions)
93: John Smit (South Africa)
92: Victor Matfield (South Africa)
82: Mils Muliaina (New Zealand)
80: Richie McCaw (New Zealand)
71: Keven Mealamu (New Zealand)
Most wins this decade:
70: Richie McCaw (New Zealand)
68: Mils Muliaina (New Zealand)
65: George Smith (Australia)
63: John Hayes (Ireland)
Most points this decade:
994: Daniel Carter (New Zealand)
954: Jonny Wilkinson (England/Lions) (overall 1058 for England)
929: Ronan O’Gara (Ireland/Lions)
784: Stephen Jones (Wales/Lions)
741: Chris Paterson (Scotland/)
703: Percy Montgomery (South Africa)
Most tries this decade:
50: Shane Williams (Wales/Lions)
49: Doug Howlett (New Zealand)
45: Joe Rokocoko (New Zealand)
38: Chris Latham (Australia), Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland/Lions)
36: Bryan Habana (South Africa)
Let’s face it…. they were good and the Bokke lagged behind, specially in the early years of this decade!
Het Kitch nie ‘n 100 % rekord gehad nie ?
Of praat ons ou net van die laaste dekade ?
It can be frustrating to be a bok supporter. Hats off to the All Blacks, they have dominated world rugby for 2 decades, even thought they could not win the WC in those decades.
Now the boks need to step up, and play the good concistent rugby we all know they can.
Ireland’s win percentage over the decade is impresive.
GBS – What’s your charge to give a laptop wings?
5@ Snoek – Depends on the problems…. hehehe
For fellow rugby fans…. I do it cheap…. and I throw a few extras in…. seriaaaaaaaaaaaaas!
Mail me with your Cell / Tel No… we’ll talk and find out what’s needed!
GBS – Ek maak so.
Puma – Happy belated Birthday. Hope you had a good one. 😆 The fact that i’m a week out should not matter between fellow Sharks.
Congrats to the All Blacks. Have to agree they have been the best team of the Decade.
Boks need to be more like them with consistency.
Still ABs will always be Boks greatest rivals.
Looking at the Tri-Nations wins. We really are lacking there. Need to up our game to where the ABs were this last Decade and start to catch up again.
Let us hope we don’t do what we normally do after a good year and fall straight back to the bottom of the pile. Would love the Boks to now be more consistent. We have the players and we should be.
GBS not sure if this is true or not. Just read a poster on the otherside saying that Bakkies to sign for Ulster for 1 season next year?
I don’t believe it though. A year before the world cup? Don’t think Bakkies is that daft. He knows he wont get selected for the wc if he done that. So not sure about that comment.
Yeah South Africa and Australia has lower winning ratios because we play New Zealand every year. Unlike some NH sides who plays against each other… Poor teams.
10@ Puma – I said before, on another Thread, that I’m worried about SA Rugby for the 2010 Season… both from a Franchise and a National point of view.
We had a good run and the trophies were bagged in 2009 by all and sundry but that only means everybody will be gunning harder for us, as we have clearly already seen during the End of Year Tour.
This means that Snorrie and his Assistants as well as the individual Franchise coaching structures would have to be innovative and think laterally and possibly a bit out of the box, to achieve the same or higher standards in 2010…….
I’ll be honest with you, I have doubts that they are capable of doing so successfully… the whole bunch of them!
Our traditional “Saffa Weapons” (and here I’m not referring to assegaai’s or spears or kettie’s) and methods have now been analised to the smallest detail and counters have been found which work against it…. so we can expect a few surprises and unless we counter with surprises of our own and keep them guessing, we are in deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!
The 7’s Bokke is a prime example… they’re in deep shit by trying to play last year’s recipy…. that was evident.
13 – GBS, Have to agree. I would actually have liked to the the Bulls backline coach being brought in and another forward coach.
PdV will be there until 2011 so he should get the best to work with. Don’t think Gold or Muir are the best.
Let us see what next year brings but if the eoyt has anything to go by then we in for a long season. Just hope have have learned from that tour.
Did you read my post 11? What do you think?
first line a bit of a mess there…haha. Meant – have like to have the Bulls backline coach.
12 – Van, Then Boks need to up their game. If we playing the best team year in year out. We should be up to their level. Something not right. We have some brilliant players not just this few years but years back too.
Think it is our coaching that is probably not up to it.
14@ Puma – I read what you said about Bakkies….. and have tried to confirm or deny the rumours…. no luck yet
17 – GBS only read one poster that said that. Really don’t see Bakkies being daft doing that. He goes he wont get selected for the World Cup. Also by now we would have heard something. He is a massive player and rumours would have been going around like crazy.
I don’t buy if for now.
Okay have to go out again. Hectic day this.
Catch up later or tomorrow.
For those that wont blog after today until the New Year, Have yourselves a great Christmas and all the best for the New Year.
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