South Africa’s Victor Matfield, left, and New Zealand’s Samuel Whitelock compete for the ball in a line out
Sunday, 00:00
New Zealand v Australia
H 1.4, D 29, A 3.5
When the great Victor Matfield was sent into the Rugby World Cup semifinal last weekend with South Africa down by five and a whole quarter to go, he sized up New Zealand and didn’t like what he saw.
“I have been fortunate enough to play in teams where you just know you are going to win the game. It doesn’t matter how far you are behind, you know you are going to win the game in the end,” Matfield says. “I must say when I went on, I never saw panic in their eyes.”
That the All Blacks prevailed by two points over Matfield and the Springboks to reach the final this weekend surprised very few.
Yes, they are filled with inspirational leaders, world-class players with an abundance of skills, speed, ambition, and determination, but they are also the most resilient team in world rugby.
It doesn’t matter whether they are chasing or being chased in a match, they hardly ever crack. They have had to tip their hat to only three opponents who have edged them in the four years since the last Rugby World Cup.
They were down to 14 men in Christchurch in 2012 when they beat Ireland with a last-minute dropped goal. Ireland should have beaten them for the first time in 2013 in Dublin but conceded a penalty with 28 seconds left, and that was all the All Blacks needed to score a converted try deep in injury time.
Last year, the Wallabies were rolled over after leading by 10 with 11 minutes to go in Brisbane, the same point at which Wales was run down in Cardiff after being up by one, prompting Wales lock Alun Wyn Jones to say “they are probably 20 minutes ahead of everybody else.”
Just before this World Cup, South Africa was overturned in Johannesburg, blowing a three-point lead with seven to go.
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said after the semifinal he was confident his side would pull through against South Africa.
“I’ve got a lot of faith in our composure,” he says. “We’ve been in tight spots a lot over the last four years, and the years before that, and when you’ve got the experience that we’ve got …
“A lot of people have made noises about guys being too old, but they’re in good form, and if they’ve been around a long time they bring a lot of experience. Most of our experiences are positive ones, therefore you get a lot of inner self-belief with that.”
The All Blacks haven’t always been this way. They have been the best team for most of the last 30 years, but they choked regularly in World Cups. Through the 1990s, when Australia won two World Cups, the Wallabies under John Eales had a supreme belief in themselves, and New Zealand was mentally fragile.
The turnaround began in 2000, when then-All Blacks coach Wayne Smith invited Gilbert Enoka, a former international volleyballer, into their setup. Enoka was to the fore in regarding mental skills as important as passing and catching. He was retained by coach Graham Henry, then Hansen, who has Enoka on his staff at this tournament.
Enoka was there in Cardiff in 2007 when the All Blacks lost to France in the quarterfinals, and lost their heads so to speak. That won over remaining skeptics among the players. Former lock Brad Thorn says they wouldn’t have beaten France in the 2011 final without Enoka. The All Blacks were mentally at their collective best in not conceding a penalty in the last 10 minutes. Foster Niumata, London, AP / Oddschecker.com
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