All Blacks latest – Donnelly’s tour is over
22 Nov 2010
Keo.co.za brings you the latest news from the All Blacks’ Grand Slam tour.
Donnelly’s tour is over - Lock Tom Donnelly suffered a knee injury during the All Blacks’ 38-18 win over Ireland last Saturday and will miss the last clash against Wales.
Head coach Graham Henry is positive that Brad Thorn will be fit to replace Donnelly and start his 50th Test in Cardiff this Saturday. Should Thorn not recover from his hamstring injury in time this week, Henry will be forced to play Sam Whitelock and Anthony Boric in the second row with flanker Jerome Kaino providing lock cover if necessary.
Meanwhile, Keven Mealamu should return to the All Blacks’ starting line-up after serving his reduced two-week ban.
Blacks to take it easy - Graham Henry says the All Blacks won’t over do it at training as they prepare for Test against Wales this weekend.
‘It’s the 14th test in five months – it’s a pretty demanding programme so we want to make sure we’ve got a full tank for the weekend. I don’t think we’ll be over working this week,’ said Henry
ABs simply the best - An All Blacks victory in Cardiff will not only secure them a Grand Slam, but it will confirm that they are one of the most successful teams in world sport.
A win this weekend will see the All Blacks’ record read 354 wins from 472 Tests – a 75% winning record. Head coach Graham Henry has played a major role in their success as he has led the team to 77 wins in 90 Tests.
According to Geoff Miller, co-author of the New Zealand Rugby Almanack, the All Blacks’ record is the best across all sporting codes.
‘Phar Lap [jockey] won 71 percent of his races,’ Miller told NZPA. ‘Manchester United, the ultimate in professional sporting excellence – in their best-ever year – had about 71 percent wins.
‘This makes the 75% of the All Blacks just stellar. The Springboks are clearly second in [rugby] terms of all-time success at 63.2%, having won 249 of 394 tests.’
18 Comments
22 Nov 2010, 10:23 am
All Blacks have proven on this tour that they are the best side in the world by more than a country mile.
Cudos to Graham Henry for surviving the Robbie Deans threat, and turning this side into something else.
22 Nov 2010, 13:02 pm
I really dont think this is the greatest AB side – the reason for their success maybe that the opposition is sub standard
22 Nov 2010, 13:54 pm
You might have a good point there, Stew.
22 Nov 2010, 13:56 pm
self-deprecating keewee bloggers
22 Nov 2010, 14:11 pm
@stew(stew) : Might not be the greatest side, but surely the best side in the world at the moment.
The interesting thing is that this side has less super stars (Cullen, Wilson, Lomu, Mehrtens etc), BUT are more of a TEAM than most.
The only real SUPER STARS IMHO is McCaw and Carter. (Both superb on Saturday)
22 Nov 2010, 14:16 pm
Great Matchups from Dublin:-
1. Franksenstein vs Cian Healey – worth the (extortionate) ticket price itself. Two excellent young props going hammer’n'tongs all day, a victory to Franksenstein but only on points.
2. Read vs Heaslip – the two best no8s on the Planet, big men running great lines at full t*t for 80mins. Immense.
3. Mils vs Kearney – the Invercargill Express has had a great season, whilst Dublins finest showed glimpses of a return to form.
4. Conrad vs BOD – Smith is 1 part of the best centre-combo in the World and consistently strong. But BOD remains the King. 1 handed scoops and catches with cat-like instinct – a privilege to see him in the flesh.
5. Kaino vs Ferris – is Dusutoir still the best blindside in the game ? Ferris hints at that at times but Kaino has been unstoppable all season and must be a strong contender for NZ Player of the Year. He’s the size of Hercules, runs like a gazelle, has a spine of titanium and hands like a Swedish masseuse.
22 Nov 2010, 14:27 pm
I’ve panned the guy enough over the years
because he deserved it.
So he also deserves a ‘well played, that man’ when he does.
So………..
.
.
well played
.
.
.
*ahem*
.
.
.
Marius Jonker
22 Nov 2010, 16:17 pm
SBW I WANNA see you score a try! C’mon! So many times he breaks tackles but seems to want to offload more than score the try. Great team mentality, but dude, sometimes we can see that you have the gap and the pace to do it. It’s not selfish when you occasionally score a try. Nonu does it. Hopefully we’ll see it happen against Wales.
Gatland has been quiet so far. No talk about the AB’s lost aura this time round. Wonder what he is cooking up.
22 Nov 2010, 16:20 pm
@Cheetah Champs(Cheetha Champs) :
Carter was near perfect on Saturday with the exception of that last kick which didn’t really matter.
OMG he plays the game sooooo beautifully. He just has magic.
22 Nov 2010, 22:21 pm
@Black Panther(Black Panther) : funny that Jonker only gets props from you after letting your team getaway with stuff the whole game
vintage kiwi dupicity!
Ferris whinge on NZ
Stephen Ferris has expressed his
dismay that New Zealand escaped
punishment for their cynical play at
the breakdown in yesterday’s 38-18
victory over Ireland.
‘Streetwise’ is the term used to
describe the All Blacks’ mastery of
slowing down or killing opposition
ball, yet rivals often question how
they evade greater censure from
referees.
That sense of injustice lingered at the Aviva
Stadium where Ireland’s final-quarter siege
was repeatedly undermined by the grand
slam-chasing tourists’ unwillingness to
concede quick ball.
Even when a yellow card seemed inevitable,
referee Marius Jonker refused to fill the sin-
bin, leaving Ferris to admire and resent their
adeptness at spoiling in equal measure.
“If I’d been a referee I would have handed
out a couple of yellow cards,” said the Lions
blindside flanker, a tryscorer in the first half.
“It’s hard because when you’re in the
middle of the pitch you get fast ball, but
when you’re in their 22 it keeps getting
killed.
“It’s the same old faces that are doing it, but
they’re good at it and get away with it.
Richie McCaw did a great job at slowing it
down.
“Peter Stringer was screaming at the referee
a couple of times to try and get the ball
away quicker.
“It’s frustrating, but they’re also good at
poaching the ball legally.”
The obviousness of New Zealand’s methods
made Jonker’s refusal to reach for his cards
baffling, but the South African’s inaction
hardly affected the outcome.
23 Nov 2010, 01:35 am
Transie
He also missed fwd-passes, for both sides. He also let play flow, not looking for pen-offences that weren’t there and we were treated to a great game as a result. So, fair dues.
Perhaps he, too, is part of the same Paddy-lead conspiracy of which Jonathan Kaplan also, apparently, joined this season.
I also chuckled last week when I posted what IMO was Best Bok Backline. It was roundly met with “good post”, even Boy George put down the mirror in a rare moment of praise about someone other than himself. It quickly became apparent that as long as commentary re Boks is deemed ‘positive’ then this will equate to “good” and, therefore, welcome.
How duplicitous is the one who sees only the things he wants to and ignores all the rest ?
23 Nov 2010, 01:54 am
As for the lesson about duplicity supported by a Safa quoting an Irish player, after the victimisation of the Emerald Isle here ever since the BIL’09 tour, well it goes in the same can of irony-whoopass as the calls of “Wayne Barnes is a cheat” after Brisbane 2009.
23 Nov 2010, 04:08 am
@Black Panther(Black Panther) : @ 12
Oh how easily you forget, denuded one. NZ, the only place on earth holds a ‘mother’ of post mortems on why the All Blacks failed?
BP you have a long way to go to regain your credibility after that post.
23 Nov 2010, 07:18 am
@Black Panther(Black Panther) : if you were at the stadium you didn’t hear marius cajoling richie into stopping his spoiling tactics, it might translate to a ‘good game’ to you but the opposition whoever it is robbie dean, ferris, bob dwyer they all come out with one conclusion ie the referees are not consistent when officiating a game involving the all blacks. Now you can twist & obfuscate all you want
marius is a good lad when he allows your team to spoil willy nilly & doesn’t “look for penalties that aren’t there” hahaha farking kiwi duplicity
23 Nov 2010, 10:56 am
@RugbyRulz(RugbyRulz) : @ 13
Perhaps, Rulz, if you ‘got’ the context of a Safa using the evidence from an Irish player to prove his point, or that Wayne Barnes is only a “cheat” when the Boks lose, then I would bother responding to that.
But you dont, so I wont.
23 Nov 2010, 11:01 am
@Transformation(Transformation) : @ 14
Dear old Transie, youre sounding more like Boy George with every passing day. Keep looking for shadows at midnight.
23 Nov 2010, 11:24 am
@Black Panther(Black Panther) : when i should be sounding more like who, yourself?
It was just an observation BP, you say kudos to jonker and the irish think otherwise…that’s all i’m saying
24 Nov 2010, 01:58 am
15. Black Panther(Black Panther)
“then I would bother responding to that.
But you dont, so I wont.”
If not worth responding why bother?
Way too easy.
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