New Zealand's Got Talent
NZ Rugby World|Issue 203 December 2019 - January 2020
BETWEEN 201 2 AND 201 9 THE ALL BLACKS HAD AN INCREDIBLE POOL OF FIRST- FIVES AT THEIR DISPOSAL, WHICH WAS NO ACCIDENT. IN STEVE HANSEN’ S EIGHT- YEAR TENURE, WORLD RUGBY MADE AN ALL BLACK NO 1 0 PLAYER OF THE YEAR ON FOUR OCCASIONS.
New Zealand's Got Talent

The All Blacks learned the hard way in 2011 that it is a massive risk to be so reliant on just one first-five.

Their World Cup campaign was famously thrown into chaos when chief play-maker Daniel Carter was ruled out of the tournament before the last pool game.

It was incredibly bad luck that their next two first-fives – Colin Slade and Aaron Cruden – were also injured in successive games, but really the moment Carter was ruled out was the moment that changed everything.

Because Carter was their everything. He was the man on whom so much depended. Not only was he truly world class, there was daylight between him and Slade.

Carter had 70-plus caps coming into the tournament and was widely recognised as the best No 10 on the planet with many believing he was the best there had ever been.

Slade, on the other hand, had made his debut off the bench in September 2010 and then missed selection for the end of year tour.

He only picked up a couple more caps before the tournament and came into it with limited exposure to genuinely difficult situations.

The over-reliance on Carter was a result of the pressure the All Blacks were under after failing at the 2007 World Cup.

They needed to restore public confidence in 2008 which meant Carter had to be on the field for most of each test.

His understudy at the 2007 World Cup, Nick Evans had headed overseas so the All Blacks didn’t have an alternative choice which compounded the need for Carter to be involved all the time.

The end result was that the All Blacks, having had four years to build their options at No 10, ended up with just one first-five they trusted in 2011.

When Steve Hansen was elevated to the head coach role in 2012 he vowed to not make the same mistake and he set about building depth at No 10 by developing both Cruden and 20-year-old Beauden Barrett alongside Carter.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM NZ RUGBY WORLDView all
The 20 Most Memorable Rugby Acts Of 2020
NZ Rugby World

The 20 Most Memorable Rugby Acts Of 2020

2020- Most Amazing Rugby Acts

time-read
10+ mins  |
Issue 208, December - January 2021
RUGBY ROYALTY
NZ Rugby World

RUGBY ROYALTY

FRANS STEYN’S IMPACT AT LAST YEAR’S WORLD CUP ADDED MORE PRESTIGE TO A DECORATED CAREER THAT ISN’T OVER YET. CRAIG LEWIS FROM SA RUGBY MAGAZINE REPORTS.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Issue 208, December - January 2021
NZ Rugby World

WINGING IT FOR LONGER

TYPICALLY POWER WINGS DON'T LAST LONG IN THE ALL BLACKS. BUT CALEB CLARKE AND RIEKO IOANE ARE HOPING TO BUCK THE TREND.

time-read
10 mins  |
Issue 208, December - January 2021
TOUGHEST JOB IN THE WORLD
NZ Rugby World

TOUGHEST JOB IN THE WORLD

NZ RUGBY WORLD EDITOR GREGOR PAUL HAS A NEW BOOK OUT CALLED THE CAPTAIN'S RUN. IN IT HE EXPLORES WHAT IT TAKES TO LEAD THE WORLD'S BEST RUGBY TEAM, HOW THE JOB HAS CHANGED AND HOW THE VARIOUS LEADERS HAVE DEALT WITH PRESSURE, FAILURE AND SUCCESS.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Issue 208, December - January 2021
NZ Rugby World

WOW FACTOR

SCOTT ROBERTSON IS UNORTHODOX BUT HE'S ALSO BRILLIANT AND WANTS A JOB WITH THE BRITISH & IRISH LIONS.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Issue 208, December - January 2021
RUGBY REBORN
NZ Rugby World

RUGBY REBORN

COVID BROUGHT ECONOMIC CARNAGE IN 2020 BUT RATHER THAN BEING SEEN AS A WRECKER OF FORTUNES, THE PANDEMIC WAS ACTUALLY A GIANT BLESSING.

time-read
10 mins  |
Issue 208, December - January 2021
NZ Rugby World

BATTLE FOR THE BLEDISLOE

THE UNPRECEDENTED CONDITIONS OF 2020 SAW THE INTERNATIONAL CALENDAR HASTILY REDRAWN AND IN A UNIQUE TWIST FOR THE PROFESSIONAL AGE, THE ALL BLACKS PLAYED FOUR CONSECUTIVE TESTS AGAINST AUSTRALIA.

time-read
7 mins  |
Issue 208, December - January 2021
PACIFIC POWER HOUSE
NZ Rugby World

PACIFIC POWER HOUSE

FIJI HAVE NEVER QUITE BEEN ABLE TO FULFIL THEIR ENORMOUS POTENTIAL. BUT THEY MIGHT NOW FOLLOWING THE APPOINTMENT OF VERN COTTER AS HEAD COACH.

time-read
9 mins  |
Issue 207, October - November 2020
THE PEOPLE'S CHAMPION
NZ Rugby World

THE PEOPLE'S CHAMPION

ON AND OFF THE FIELD, SPRINGBOKS WING CHESLIN KOLBE CONTINUES TO MAKE AN INSPIRATIONAL IMPACT.

time-read
10+ mins  |
Issue 207, October - November 2020
DEFENCE FORCE ONE
NZ Rugby World

DEFENCE FORCE ONE

THE BLUES WERE A RADICALLY DIFFERENT TEAM IN 2020 AND MUCH OF THAT WAS DUE TO THEIR VASTLY IMPROVED WORK ON DEFENCE.

time-read
9 mins  |
Issue 207, October - November 2020