Credit to the Barbarians, a side laced with world class stars. They had virtually no meaningful training and had to rely on individual brilliance and the nous that comes with a total of over 900 caps.
Not a great result to end the All Blacks year, but to coin a phrase from Bart Simpson, the All Blacks loss to the Barbarians is not something to “have a cow” about.
Yes they probably should have won. Yes, they probably would have had Richie McCaw not been taken off at halftime, and yes, they definitely would have had they put anything like their strongest team on the field.
But they did none of that and they’ll be disappointed not to have capped a successful tour with a win.
But the coaches decided they were not prepared to put their strongest team out for a third straight week and a 5th out of 6. The schedule of this tour has been as demanding as any for a long time…not just because of the 5 tests and the Baabaas tacked on, but because of the constant to-ing and fro-ing they have had to do between Britain and Europe. They have had an amount of promotional work to do that borders on excessive….half of the team did not make it to London until Tuesday because they had been doing their bit for Adidas (who sure get their moneys worth out of this team) and Iveco.
OK, enough of the excuses.
Credit to the Barbarians, a side laced with world class stars. They had virtually no meaningful training and had to rely on individual brilliance and the nous that comes with a total of over 900 caps.
They did that, and in the end provided the winning touches through the phenomenal talents of Bryan Habana.
His three tries were all gems, the first courtesy of a stunning pick up and dash from Drew Mitchell, the second a trademark intercept, and the third a final touch to a superb buildup involving his South African mates Morne Steyn and Jacque Fourie.
That, essentially, was the match, and once they saw the line in sight, they were smart enough to close it out, despite New Zealands desperation.
What of the All Blacks? Well, as a trial, a job interview for future prospects, it might have weeded out a few.
Ben Smith underlined his possibilities as a player with some special abilities, Jane and Guildford likewise. Luke McAlister had by far his best game since coming back….signs that the lingering effects of his time in English club rugby are finally being purged. Rodney So’oialo was tireless, Anthony Boric and John Afoa strong, Jason Eaton had his moments including a steal or two off Matfield, and Wyatt Crockett had a much better day. The jury is out on others, and one or two have shown they are not quite up to it at this level. All part of the process.
The natural inclination is to lament what the All Blacks become when Carter and McCaw are not playing. The process of finding their understudies continues.
But let’s put it all in context.
Let’s not forget the Springboks, as well as two test matches, lost two matches to club sides on their tour, when they left their best players out. Australia lost to Scotland, for goodness sake. The All Black record on this tour still stands out above the others.
And the other thing, is that this match, last Saturdays in France, the Australia Wales, and to a lesser extent the Springbok Ireland games have done more for rugby as a spectacle than just about all the other professional games played in this part of the world over the past two months put together.
These matches have proved that - while the laws still need an overhaul - rugby can still be a wonderful spectacle when teams have the right attitude, something Englands Director of Rugby Rob Andrew should note before he launches his next bleat about the state of the game. To be fair he is certainly well qualified to talk about boring rugby, having played so much of it himself.
***************************************
It was the last day at the office for our SKY team after a long six week haul.
We went back to our “local’ a pub in the back streets of Kensington and had a good time, chewing over the events of the past weeks.
It’s been an enjoyable trip, highlighted by our week amongst the crazies, the wonderful food and the great match of Marseille.
We have really enjoyed having Justin Marshall with us, and look forward to working with him in future.
It has been a great experience, but right now I can’t wait to get home to my family and to New Zealand. For all the great experiences I am lucky to have when I travel on the job, I know I live in the right place!
This is my last column for the year, and I just want to wish you all a safe and happy summer and a great Christmas and New Year.