Mythbusters

The Perception of the All Blacks’ Tight Five Being Vulnerable Is One That Refuses to Die No Matter How Many Times It Is Dispelled.

- Gregor Paul

Of all the ill-founded, strange, mythical notions that exist within rugby, the idea that the All Blacks are vulnerable in the tight five is perhaps the one that makes least sense of all.

It is definitely a thing: there is a perception within various parts of the world that the set piece and general lack of physicality within the All Blacks tight five, is their soft underbelly. If you want to beat the All Blacks – attack them up front seems to be the popular thinking.

Teams from the Northern Hemisphere are most prone to thinking like this. They are more likely to fix on the idea that they can scrum the All Blacks into submission or force them to raise the white flag by dominating them at the lineout.

The British & Irish Lions in 2005 thought they would be able to do that. They picked a number of grizzled, veteran England forwards who were tough, experienced campaigners and told them to seek and destroy.

In coach Clive Woodward’s defence, the All Blacks pack had been a little vulnerable between 2000 and 2004. They had developed a reputation for being a touch flaky at set piece and not as abrasive or robust as All Blacks packs of old.

But new coach Graham Henry, who had been installed in late 2003, identified the need to stiffen the resolve of his pack and had made ample progress by late 2004.

While Henry wanted the All Blacks to play a wide-wide game, he wanted to do so off a rock solid set piece. His pack would have to be mobile and skilled, but first and foremost, they had to attend to their core roles.