Canterbury, sponsors of the Springboks, have a wonderful ad campaign. It shows a Bok bashing into an Adidas All Black with the pay-off line that "All Black is so last season". And former England captain Will Carling is leading the damning of the fashion show and media hype that has become a feature of New Zealand's rugby union.

Carling has tongue-whipped the team from the Land of the Long White Cloud and blasted 'light' through the mists that have shrouded the All Blacks in mystical invincibility.

His scathing words are true. The McBlacks (the McDonald's of rugby union) have become commoditised, the All Black jersey is no longer a shroud of pure team dedication and ruthless intent to win. It has been cheapened – it’s been made to look pretty.

'The All Black jersey is no longer a shroud of pure team dedication and ruthless intent to win. It has been cheapened – it’s been made to look pretty'


Who would have thought, 20 years back, that you could dream of the words ATTRACTIVE and ALL BLACK in the same sentence? As the lads from KEO point out, 'the game is not about attractiveness, it is about scoring more points than the opposition over two 40-minute periods. That’s the rugby I know, that’s the rugby on which my admiration for the All Blacks is based. And yet I am left questioning why New Zealand, who once personified the ultimate winning machine is now the temperamental, hard-to-drive Italian sports car.'

Carling bemoans: ''The shine of that pitch-black shirt is for sale and I for one am disappointed and frustrated at the leaders of the game that the ongoing erosion of one of the great states continues, without abatement.''

Coach Graham Henry cannot be lumped with all the blame and the NZRU needs to share culpability for this 'be pretty and don't win' style and focus of out-of-fashion New Zealand rugby. The NZRU has managed Kiwi rugby like a McDonald's franchise and has professionally packaged their goose that lays the golden egg (the AB's) into a 'happy meal' box to maximise their brand returns.

International rugby union does not tolerate this type of prostitution and New Zealanders need to be reminded of their past and how 'we won by winning on the scoreboard and not by the television coverage.'

The All Black brand of winning the game is dead, you may as well tune into the WWF.

All eyes focus on South Africa and the Six Nations champions.