Past failures fuel Blacks’ resolve
22 Oct 2011
New Zealand captain Richie McCaw says premature exits from previous World Cups have taught them valuable lessons that should serve them well in the final.
The All Blacks are heavily favoured to beat France at Eden Park on Sunday, but there is a discernible sense of trepidation among the New Zealand public given their team’s history of underachievement at the tournament.
Asked whether the team’s resolve is driven by the fear of unexpected defeats at previous World Cups, McCaw said: ‘A lot of guys have been through one if not two experiences that haven’t been too flash and you’d like to think that just hardens the resolve and the desire.
‘From my point of view, what happened back in 2003 [defeat to Australia] I never understood what it took to win a World Cup. Perhaps didn’t fully understand again in ’07 [defeat to France] but those experiences you realise that to win it you’ve got to be the best team in that tournament regardless of what’s happened beforehand and you’ve got to produce the good when it counts.
‘We’ve got men who’ve been in situations, they’ve been around a long time and there’s a lot of desire there. We’ve got guys that are good enough but that guarantees nothing. People say who deserves what, but at the end of the day in a final it’s not about who deserves what. It’s about who goes and plays the best rugby on that stage, in this game, that’s what we’ve got to do. What’s happened before means absolutely nothing. We’re against a team, the French, who’ll all be thinking exactly the same.’
McCaw is the most successful captain of his generation, with only the World Cup title alluding him. There are those who have argued that he cannot be considered a truly great skipper until he completes his haul with the one the Blacks most covet. McCaw doesn’t agree, but did acknowledge his deep desire to succeed on Sunday.
‘You’d like to think the things you’ve done through 10 years, regardless of what happens tomorrow, mean something,’ he said. ‘But this is the biggest game that I’ve played in and it’s one you want to do well in. If you’re going to pick a game before you start playing any rugby what one would you want to play in? It would be a World Cup final.
‘I won’t be around forever but hopefully when I leave one day people will say that all the history has gone before, all the legacies that have been set have been upheld if not raised.’
McCaw said he is not the superstitious type, but responded quickly when asked whether he had ever touched the trophy. ‘No. I don’t think you should touch it till you’ve earned it.’
160 Comments
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22 Oct 2011, 12:42 pm
Viva la France!
South Africa is Blue tomorrow!
Ram a few Cockledoodledoos down those arrogant kiwi fans’ throats, thinking they have won it already.
22 Oct 2011, 12:43 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-99:
Like I said earlier, I would have stopped the Boks even if they had 120% ball. That was my brief, AND I DID IT. Now we are in the finals, all because of me! I may be a d i c k head but I got OUR team IN THE FINAL!
22 Oct 2011, 12:43 pm
and those ones who demand SA fans support the kiwis…
22 Oct 2011, 12:44 pm
How many points will NZ win by tomorrow?
22 Oct 2011, 12:44 pm
And Ma’a Nonu remains our prettiest girl.
22 Oct 2011, 12:45 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-104:
Depends on if we could buy Joubert.
22 Oct 2011, 12:45 pm
Enjoy children, I’m out for real now.
One last: Go France!
22 Oct 2011, 12:49 pm
SA rugby rightfully where it belongs
right down the back of the line in 8th spot
bewdiful.
22 Oct 2011, 12:51 pm
Give me my due, here is how I did it, under orders from the NZRU, for a nice fat fee. This is my story (again):
http://blogs.sport24.co.za/David-Mac/bryce-lawrence-lord-of-the-whistles-17-Oct-2011
22 Oct 2011, 12:51 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-108:
And I did it, by myself!
22 Oct 2011, 12:57 pm
how not to win a WC
the real story, as told by he SA rugby team, simply titled
“Skop aan jaag bokkes be fokked”
a certain best seller, forward written by Moer Hulle Brycie.
look out for the sequel to hit shelves in the near future
“backline? what the fok is that”
22 Oct 2011, 13:03 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-111:
If the Keewee;s lose tomorrow?
All Choke book released with the whole Keewee nation as a reference.
Now that would be “bewdiful”
22 Oct 2011, 13:07 pm
looking forward to the next hollywood movie about the Bokke WC campaign of 2011..
“brycie, he d1cked us”
starring Eddie Murphy as the deranged lunatic and head clown, PDV.
with John candy in the role of “captain aura”
not forgetting Peter Sellers as the villain “Sir Bryce lawrence”
once again Clint eastwood has surpassed himself with this moving rendition of just how far paranoia can infect a society…
this could be his finest moment as a producer, btu spare a thought for the researchers, they have to wade through a river of tears….
PG 18
contains obscene language
and violence…
at cinemas soon…ish
22 Oct 2011, 13:08 pm
On the eve of a (rare) Rugby World Cup final for his team, against the Kiwi-slaying French, one would think Poopie would be analysing the match ups, discussing the French tactics and the All Blacks path to glory, and generally just being in a happy place with his team on the door step of destiny in their own country.
But no.
He is focussed on SA and what SA did and didn’t do.
Someone mention the words “unhealthy” and “obsession” together?
Shame.
22 Oct 2011, 13:09 pm
@jondood(jondood)-112: a real possibility, not writing the French of by any means… they are dangerous and can beat us on their day…
22 Oct 2011, 13:10 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-114: nah, just giving it to supporters like yourself who have gloated unceremoniously for four years, now the tables have turned you have become sooooo precious..
love it…
22 Oct 2011, 13:10 pm
Caster Semenya is seen as hottie compared to the avg kiwi chick.
Fact.
22 Oct 2011, 13:12 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-116:
Waiheke was nice,stayed in a backpacker on a hill and about 2km down the coast was a nudie beach.
Water was freezing.
22 Oct 2011, 13:12 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-116: yeah sure, Poopie, you’re just “returning serve”.
We know.
22 Oct 2011, 13:12 pm
@Fern is not a stud,he is merely no19(Fern)-117: shouldnt talk about your girlfriend like that on a public blog fern..
still, you must enjoy it when she/he pushes your head back down into the pillow..
you still coming to the opera house for a beer when youre in Sydney?
22 Oct 2011, 13:12 pm
Allez les Bleus!
22 Oct 2011, 13:13 pm
@Fern is not a stud,he is merely no19(Fern)-117:
Ma’a Nonu is our hottest chick. You think Caster looks better?
22 Oct 2011, 13:14 pm
viva la France
Viva
go Boys!
22 Oct 2011, 13:14 pm
@poppa69(poppa69)-120:
Opera House Bar def maybe.
Will keep you updated.
22 Oct 2011, 13:16 pm
Dunno Bryce,my gf is the complete package so I dont care.
Smart,ambicious,appreciative,carreer orientated and pretty to boot:-)
22 Oct 2011, 14:20 pm
@Bryce interesting blog but it is over we got screwed so time to build a bridge after all it is not life and death. May the best French team win and Bryce Lawrence never referee a match again.
22 Oct 2011, 16:34 pm
(yawn) Sorry to disappoint agitated Frogboks, Blacks by whatever necessary.
22 Oct 2011, 17:58 pm
Wishing both teams well. I will be supporting our siblings the All Blacks. Go Black.
And congratulations to all of New Zealand for an outstanding tournament.
Bar gouging the US TV viewers in a pathetic, typically greedy, G&T whiskey soaked bout of pure and utter stupidity. IRB & RWC are fools.
And I am sorry Joe Maso – if you were in this to win this you would have worn dark blue, dof.
22 Oct 2011, 18:08 pm
This latest poll says it all about how utterly fkn braindead stupid the RWC selections were:
“Who should be the SA Player of the Year?
Bismarck du Plessis
Schalk Burger
Pat Lambie
Francois Hougaard
Victor Matfield”
2 of those players weren’t even selected for the Boks the run-on side.
22 Oct 2011, 18:11 pm
The best player in SA rugbty, the one that makes the biggest difference to an SA side is none other than Bismarck du Plessis. Matfield is phenomenal in the lineout (probably none better ever) but the modern gamn is primarily aboutt the collisions and breakdown, they do not get better than Bismarck – and how much rugby did he play at this RWC?
Like Dagg, he should have emerged from this tournament as one of the world’s stars, instead he’s time merely slips past, a complete joke. I hope he’s got a sense of humour cos this was kak vorm allround.
22 Oct 2011, 18:13 pm
Never again must a fkn bok side be selected by a bunch of vainglorious fartarses. Bunch of tools man.
22 Oct 2011, 18:18 pm
am about ready to shitout a brick when i look at the teams playing tomorrow, knowing full well the Boks should have been contesting this damned thing.
22 Oct 2011, 18:38 pm
@cab(cab)-130: I agree. Total travesty that he did not start, and absolutely cost us the game more than the referee.
22 Oct 2011, 18:50 pm
@SodaJoe(SodaJoe)-133:
yeah Joe total bullshit, i’m still fuming 2 weeks on, oh well at least the Lions in a final, should be good game next week, mitchell got them playing well and that young jantjies looking pretty damn sharp of hoe?
22 Oct 2011, 18:54 pm
@cab(cab)-134: I don’t really watch Currie Cup in truth. Hard to get up for it when I am still down from RWC.
But I am looking forward to a new era of Springbok rugby. The last one ended in tremendous disappointment, and for reasons that could well have been avoided.
I suspect that you are supporting Les Bleu tommorow. I will be supporting Les Hommes En Noir.
22 Oct 2011, 19:00 pm
@SodaJoe(SodaJoe)-135:
ja i know what u meaning, blerrie bullshit bok bumbling bafoons. time for a clearout.
as for tomorrow, dunno i like the ABs but it would be bladdy funny for a few of their faithful to get their come uppacne tomoro, not gonna happen, blacks by 25.
22 Oct 2011, 20:38 pm
Number One Black Dragons!!
22 Oct 2011, 23:08 pm
In test matches Schalk Burger take a bow first prize . No contest
You Bok fans rave on about Bissie but (from a NZ perspective) playing cameos off the bench doesn’t cut the mustard
Calling him the best hooker in the world when he hardly plays a half a game is getting a bit ahead of yourselves
Lets have a look at him after a few years as the run on hooker see if he can live up
to the hype
22 Oct 2011, 23:22 pm
@spartan(spartan)-138: you are deluding yourself. Bismark is head and shoulders above any other hooker in the game today.
22 Oct 2011, 23:26 pm
He gets a chance to prove it ,now that Smit is out of the picture
22 Oct 2011, 23:29 pm
@SodaJoe(SodaJoe)-128:
there were lots of shenanigans that ended up with France wearing their NEW DARK-blue strip in 2007 and the ABs reluctantly allowed them to wear their ‘home’ strip. Reciprocal rights in 2011 were no doubt part of the deal.
One thing we know is that SA would never have made the sportsmanship call if placed in the same position.
In NZ, we LOVE les Tricolors despite how many times they beat us. Thats because they are still great sportsman OFF the pitch. Unlike….
22 Oct 2011, 23:31 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-139:
he hasnt had a better tournament than Mealamu, who has been consistently excellent, esp vs Aus.
22 Oct 2011, 23:33 pm
Bismark walks into any World team.
22 Oct 2011, 23:57 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-143: On the contrary his name hasn’t been seen near any world cup xv team sheet as of 23-10-2011
It’s consistent high-quality performance on the field that matters
Not hype
23 Oct 2011, 00:09 am
I hope the sheep shaggers loose the tainted world cup, worst in the history of the ggame, poppa 69 piss off back to that inbred country town of auckland, you are a glory supporter, nothing better, all blacks yawn, yawn, yawn
23 Oct 2011, 01:21 am
In auks, taxi to viaduct. Can feel the precious, itsssss ssssoo close, yessssss we wantssssss it!
23 Oct 2011, 01:24 am
Hope my mate who has my ticket turns up, haven’t heard from him all weekend….. B@stard better not have flogged to make a quick coupla grand!!!
23 Oct 2011, 02:54 am
@maximus1(maximus1)-145:
how many games were you in NZ for ?
23 Oct 2011, 04:48 am
Hey black panther none of the games, I wouldn’t visit that mud island in the pacific, hell, south africa have been on crappy nz refs end for years, to all the all black wannabe supporters, who cares, world cup is tainted with inept referees, especially nz, hell I don’t who was worse paddy o brien or bryce lawrence, grounds were poor, eden park no better than a club ground in sa.
23 Oct 2011, 04:53 am
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-104: About 25, I’d say. Maybe 40.
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