All to play for

The All Blacks made a statement against Italy, but with the tournament at the halfway mark, the reputations of the team and their outgoing coach remain ‘work ons’.

- PAUL THOMAS

Lurking in the comments section below a preview of the All Blacks vs Italy World Cup pool match was this each-way bet: “The ABs will either win big or capitulate … Who knows who will turn up these days?” The All Blacks rarely, if ever, capitulate, but we know what the respondent was getting at. Once a byword for consistency, the team have latterly been a “riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma”, as Winston Churchill described the Soviet Union. Coach Ian Foster’s tenure, now drawing to a close, has been the proverbial rollercoaster ride: sometimes exhilarating, sometimes alarming, occasionally nausea-inducing.

The All Blacks duly won big via a compelling blend of flamboyance and ruthlessness, but we already knew they are rugby’s foremost flat-track bullies, in a league of their own when it comes to annihilating inferior opponents, especially those who play into their hands by taking an expansive approach. As former coach Steve Hansen’s biographer, Gregor Paul, wrote, “It’s suicide to play an attacking game against the All Blacks. No matter how good others become, they will never be as good.” Italy’s fullback Tommaso Allan said something similar: “They kept getting advantages and just playing without pressure. When they do that, they’re the best in the world.”