The All Blacks are favourites for the Rugby World Cup in France - but their success, as in previous campaigns, will come down to the top two inches, their ability to outsmart the opposition and to thwart their rivals' passion.

If this spirit comes on the back of a series of competent victories, then confidence adds to the momentum causing difficulties for the All Blacks.  The home crowd also plays a part.  All of this means the All Blacks must be smarter than their opposition this time and be able to change their tactics accordingly to avoid the disappointment of another botched World Cup campaign. Their open style is prone to errors, which is not what is needed in the cauldron of a World Cup Final.

Every player from outside New Zealand dreams of playing in a World Cup Final against the All Blacks. This means that other teams will be passionate and inspired to raise their game when they New Zealand in the semi finals or final.

'In 1995 the All Blacks' reliance on possession and running the ball from everywhere cost them'


Let's look at past All Black failings. In the 1991 semi-final, the classy Wallabies were too good for a New Zealand side well past their use-by date. The All Blacks were outclassed by Tim Horan, Nick Farr-Jones, Michael Lynagh and David Campese in a deserved victory.  

The 1995 final was an epic where the All Blacks were ever-so-slightly tipped over by the passionate Springboks in front of Nelson Mandela and the raucous home crowd.  The men in black had no other game plan and their reliance on possession and running the ball from everywhere cost them.  Their inability to change tactics in the face of adversity and their lack of match fitness after a session on the throne following some food poisoning ultimately cost them.

The French played with similar passion in the 1999 semi-final. They used the crowd as motivation and their inherent ability to raise themselves against the perceived best team in the world got them home.  The All Blacks had no answer and couldn't shut the game down and grind out the win.  They wanted it more against a side who individually should have wiped the floor with them.  The funny thing is they couldn't get up for the final against the Wallabies.  The French have a habit of seeing black like bulls see red!

On to 2003, and who will forget the Wallabies with their Stirling Mortlock intercept in the semi-final? That turned the game on its head and it must now be realised that the fast-and-furious game executed with Carlos Spencer running the ship was again too risky.  The All Blacks had no back-up plan and no ability to change tactics against Australia, who had a limited front row and back three compared with their opposition. The Wallabies had the ability to shut the game down after the intercept and grind a win. 

With defence so important these days, a reliance on an attacking style is risky unless you have the nous to know the appropriate time to close games down. The All Blacks are always going to find teams playing out of their skins against them. When the French fans get their enigmatic team on a high, or the Springboks play with that win-at-all-cost attitude, or Swing Low Sweet Chariot gets the England pack mauling, or when the Australians start playing a mistake-free game, then the All Blacks have to grind out a win like they did in the final Tri-Nations match.

Hopefully, after so many failed World Cup campaigns, the All Blacks have finally found the recipe to get the William Webb Ellis trophy back to its rightful home.

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