After our loss to Australia four years ago, I jokingly wrote that the William Webb-Ellis trophy was as elusive to the All Blacks as Saddam Hussein was to the US, and I compared our World Cup failures to that of the Boston Red Sox in baseball.

Well, a month later Hussein was captured, and the following year the Red Sox won their first World Series title since the First World War Apparently becoming world champions is more difficult than I thought.

Before I begin, I have to say that I am, and always will be, a staunch All Black supporter. I'm dyed in the wool, true black, through and through. I have defended coaches and players alike when we lose. I have made excuses like "we were food poisoned", or "we weren't experienced at crucial positions", or "the referee Ed Morrison shouldn't have called a forward pass from Walter Little to Jonah Lomu that could have led to the game-winning try."

'Four years ago Keith Quinn criticised John Mitchell for not having a plan B when the semi-final went south against Australia. I think the problem with Graham Henry was that he didn't have a Plan A'


Yeah, he had 70 metres to run, but he was open! Well, not any more. We have absolutely no excuses, and quite frankly, after 20 years, I've had enough. In the words of an aging Scottie Pippen: "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired." That's how I feel about the Rugby World Cup, and someone has to pay.

Look no further than the coach Graham Henry. We had the best team for three straight years. Three successful Bledisloe Cup defences, three Tri-Nations tournament wins, a grand slam in Europe, a series whitewash of the British and Irish Lions and a 33-3 record. So why blame Henry?

First, he decided to organise a 30-man rotation system, allowing second and third string players to be selected in more games than they probably deserved. Some felt this "devalued" the All Black jersey, but that criticism didn't hold much weight when we kept winning. Instead, it only showed the incredible depth in New Zealand rugby.

I didn't necessarily hate the idea, but the problem I had was that I knew when 2007 rolled around; the coaching staff had to know who the starters would be so they could gel and develop chemistry for those big, pressure-cooker games at the World Cup. Henry didn't do that; instead, he fell in love with the rotation system and continued resting players and changing combinations even in an elimination game against France.

You can't tell that me that Doug Howlett wasn't good enough to make the 22, and why didn't Chris Jack start? And why, for the third straight World Cup, did we have a fullback playing centre? Not that Mils Muliaina isn't adequate, but he poses a much greater threat to the opposition when he has room to move at the back.

Henry will make you believe that rotating players encourages competition and motivation within the squad. I disagree. I believe it brings only insecurity and paranoia. One mistake and you might be out. Even a good game might earn you a trip to the bench. As a result, there is no creativity, no innovation, and no Kiwi ingenuity.

This goes along with my second point. We are too predictable. I think we have become predictable, not because we are a "dumb rugby nation" as Murray Deaker put it, but because we have become arrogant and mentally lazy. Hitting it up like league players and kicking the ball aimlessly is not what you would call creative. We think we can show up on any given Saturday and rely on our talent to win us the game. Four years ago Keith Quinn criticised John Mitchell for not having a plan B when the semi-final went south against Australia. I think the problem with Henry was that he didn't have a Plan A.

Finally, a comment Henry made after the loss to France let me know why the All Blacks don't deserve to call themselves world champions. He said the French won because of their "passion." Why can't the All Blacks have passion? You mean to tell me that these men in black (or should I say grey), who dreamed from a young age of being an All Black, played the biggest game of their lives with little or no passion?

That's unacceptable. I'm sick and tired of watching my team lose to supposedly inferior competition because we didn't have enough passion. Maybe that's all it comes down to. The William Webb-Ellis trophy has now become more elusive than Osama Bin Laden, and it's more likely I’ll see the Cubs winning the World Series than an All Black captain kissing a gold-coloured trophy.

Do you agree with Douglas's assessment of the All Blacks' problems? Post a comment below or submit an article to Sportingo if you prefer.