All Blacks coach Steve Hansen was a proud man after a dramatic comeback against Ireland capped an unbeaten year for his side.
The world champions were forced to come from behind to become the first team to win every match in a calendar year in the professional era.
rugby365
The All Blacks looked like they were down and out with the Irish in possession deep in their half with less than a minute to go but they got a penalty and moved the ball downfield for Ryan Crotty to score a try – which Aaron Cruden converted at the second opportunity.
Hansen – who stepped up to the senior role after being Graham Henry’s assistant when the All Blacks won the 2011 World Cup on home soil – paid a handsome tribute to the Irish who had been less than a minute away from making history themselves in recording their first ever win over the visitors.
“I’d like to compliment Ireland on a sensational performance, they rattled us and had us 15 points down. They were outstanding,” said the 54-year-old, who is in his second spell as a national team coach having coached Wales from 2002-04.
“That wasn’t in the script, that is for sure. However, I am extremely proud of the 23 guys who came from where they did and clawed their way over the line.
“It was special and is a great achievement. It has been a great year.
“However, we have a lot of work to do to stay where we are.”
All Blacks captain Richie McCaw, who made his debut at Lansdowne Road in 2001, and in that match faced having to come back from almost an identical deficit of 21-7, said the turning point in the final minutes of the match had been when Irish flyhalf Johnny Sexton missed a kickable penalty four minutes from time.
“I thought if that had gone over it would have been game over but instead it missed and I could feel our players get a lift from that,” said the 32-year-old, who was winning his 124th cap.
“The Irish guys then tried to eat up time but I have always felt as a player that can backfire and so it did here.
“There is a bit of a funny atmosphere in the changing room. It is one of relief that we got over the line. Maybe it was an ugly performance but it is pretty special what we have achieved and to claw it back like we did makes me so proud.”
Hansen, who remarked that at half-time he had told the players to keep calm and prevent the Irish scoring any more points, said it hadn’t been the case of the All Blacks taking the victory for granted over a side that was rated 10/1 outsiders to win and had performed lamely last Saturday in a 32-15 defeat by Australia.
“I don’t see it as the All Blacks not turning up, it is just the Irish did and forced us to make mistakes.
“We trained really hard all week but when you start like the Irish did then you gain in self-belief, so it wasn’t a question of us having too much self-belief but when the Irish actually began to believe they could do it.
“We just got better, it wasn’t a case of the Irish going off the boil. I agree with Richie that if the penalty had gone over then it would have been over.
“However, it didn’t and gave us a sniff, which my guys gladly didn’t pass on and we grabbed a special victory.”
Hansen said the All Blacks had proved the old adage of never giving up until the final whistle goes.
“What we will take out of this is it doesn’t matter what it says up on the scoreboard. If you have the composure and the mental fortitude you can redress any deficit.
“This will serve the young players well.”
As for what he had said to the players, Hansen revealed he hadn’t spoken to them collectively yet but he knew what his first words would be.
“I’m extremely proud of you.”
All Blacks had a great season, I admire their resolve!
The only problem I do have with the All Blacks is that they willingy commit professional fouls near their goal line to rather concede the penalty than to concede a try. Some might consider that clever play, but is has a ring of a bit uf underhanded tactics to it.
What I admire probably most is their ability to unleach the slow poison to get to the end win results, speaks volumes about self belief and conditioning.
Really good side, but they do have a way of pushing the boundaries. But what will happen when the likes of McCaw and Carter and Mealamu and some others retire? These guys are all coming to the end of their careers, and it will leave huge gaps when they retire.
2 @ Lion4ever:
The world and the Springboks must not bank on some older All Blacks retiring.
They have far better succession planning than ANY other international side!
Let’s take some examples… Kieran Read is already ready to take the captaincy mantle from Richie McCaw when McCaw retires and the looseforwards stocks in New Zealand are high, with players like Matt Todd, and a number of others who can fill the void in any of the looseforward positions. Carter is becoming a liability already on the injury front, but the All Blacks’ 3rd choice flyhalf (Beauden Barrett) is arguably already better than Aaron Cruden and Dan Carter… just look at the impact he made on the weekend against Ireland when coming on. Dane Coles is already being prepared to take over from Keven Mealamu and Hore, getting critical game time. Centres are not a problem in New Zealand, neither is wings or fullback.
New Zealand’s locks are already moving onto newer, younger players, the props are slowly being rotated and integrated although if there is a shortcoming in the All Blacks side at present it is at front row, where they’ve been bested by a number of sides this year in the scrums… trust New Zealand to give special attention to scrumming in 2014.
There is a fluid and logical progression at the All Blacks…
John Mitchell
All Blacks benefit from NZ set-up
New Zealand rugby’s system puts the national team first, writes former All Blacks coach JOHN MITCHELL.
In New Zealand rugby, a centralised model ensures everything is geared towards helping the All Blacks achieve success and ensuring that talented players come through the system.
What key mechanics set the NZRU apart from Saru?
– The NZRU accepts what the IRB stands for, the congested fixture list and the laws, and gets on with being creative within its own system.
– In New Zealand, the hierarchical structures were dispensed with almost 14 years ago. Each Super Rugby franchise now consists of boards made up of administrators and independent business people who are voted in every two years.
– The NZRU separated NPC (provincial) and Super Rugby (franchise) administrations.
– The NZRU budgets for each department are self-sufficient with protocols that allow the heads of each department to be creative and have scope to operate within.
– The high-performance department funds, supports and resources all high-performance teams’ strategy and plans.
– The New Zealand Rugby Players’ Association agrees on a players’ collective that supports the current generation and provides a platform for the future.
– The NZRU looks after the All Blacks players’ wellbeing by providing them with intermittent blocks of work to help them improve and sabbaticals (on a case-by-case basis) which allow them to get away from the game and freshen up. The NZRU also creates strength and conditioning windows for the All Blacks in Super Rugby.
– During Super Rugby, the All Blacks’ specialist coaches check in on their players’ wellbeing and conditioning, focus on their individual skills and decision-making and raise their self-awareness in terms of what is expected of them.
– The NZRU, high-performance department and All Blacks work together when it comes to succession planning and regenerating the team towards its best 23.
– In the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks selected 28 players based on exceptional versatility, and only increased their squad number through injuries and the need to manage players. Each squad is selected on the current situation and not a budget-based number.
– When selecting a 32-man end-of-year tour squad, the All Blacks take several things into account, including who the best players are, the players’ wellbeing, and the team’s development and regeneration heading towards the next World Cup. This is done in collaboration with the high-performance department.
– The NZRU has an apprentice scheme that allows someone like young flank Ardie Savea to go on tour with the All Blacks to Europe. There is also a developing hookers group that works in tandem with the All Blacks to accelerate their development.
– All Blacks staff and coaches attend New Zealand U20 camps and trials to assist with ranking and positional succession planning.
– Test week for the All Blacks is all about the right preparation to get the right performance. This involves things like the recovery and regeneration of the body (so there’s a full fuel tank), qualitative feedback on performance, game specifics on the what and how, and opportunities to exploit in the game.
– The rugby syllabuses at community, schools and junior levels are categorised and tailored to the individual age group. A ‘weight for age’ is still applied, with the NZRU constantly telling mums that rugby is safe for their young boys to play.
– The theory is that rugby plays a vital role in New Zealand communities and is the fabric that binds everyone together, so the NZRU cannot afford for the All Blacks to create a disconnect. The NZRU is very creative in this area and mindful of how communities struggle to keep their rugby going.
– The All Blacks team manager plays a vital supporting role in terms of brand linkages, logistics, standards and discipline, which enables the coach to focus on mentorship, building structures, giving ownership to the players, and exciting them for each contest. NZRU policy, team protocols and the consequences of not meeting them are aligned.
– The NZRU’s commercial department is focused on high performance and the synergy between the three As – All Blacks, adidas and AIG – is huge. The NZRU deserves credit for fostering its long relationship with adidas and having the foresight to bring AIG on board. By doing so, the All Blacks and all the other NZRU high-performance teams have enough funding to run their programmes.
Imagine what the Springboks could achieve if South African rugby had the above system?
It also makes you appreciate what a good job Heyneke Meyer has done in the hit-and-miss system that he has to operate within.
SA Rugby Mag
@ superBul:
What a system.
If we can get that system going, where its all about the Springboks, we will become unbeatable.
@ grootblousmile:
They do have that fantastic succession plan, but it still will leave huge gaps in their line up when these guys retire. As good as the replacements are, will they be up at the same levels as the outgoing players? Obviously they will be great players, but they won’t have the same aura that the McCaws and Carters of NZ have, which will give their opposition just that little bit of extra confidence. But I do agree that we should not wait until these guys retire. Our plan should be to identify areas needing improvement, and plan to redress those areas, and then implement that plan, with clear and concise deliverables to be met.
Lion4ever wrote:
The referees will most probably also not be under their spell anymore.
Refs are scared to blow McCaw, that is a proven fact.
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