Poll: Best AB coach - professional era
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@Victor-Meldrew You might find Gregor Paul's book on Hansen quite interesting.
Foundations were definitely set by Sir Ted - but, Hansen had the challenge of, now we've finally won the World Cup again - what next?
He set the target - initially - of being the most dominant rugby team of all time - and after 2015 (when they thought that might be achieved), I think exteded it to the most dominant sports team ever.
It's pretty interesting if you're interested in the transitions between the coaches. Biography, so Hansen doesn't really speak (very disappointing), but lots of the people surrounding do.
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@Jet said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:
@nzzp said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:
@sparky said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:
Sir Ted.
By some margin. Reinvented the ABs and peeled off some real statement wins early on. 2004 France away was extraordinary - destroyed them up front and in the backs, when people (aka the Walrus) thought they'd dust us up front.
Best haka ever too that game, closely followed by first Kapa O Pango.
Both Tana.
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@Nepia said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:
@ACT-Crusader said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:
And this might be your most broken record post….
I'm sure it's not even close, I have a lot of broken records.
If you take out anything involving Hawkes Bay you’re actually one of the more measured fellows around here.
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@MN5 said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:
@Nepia said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:
@ACT-Crusader said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:
And this might be your most broken record post….
I'm sure it's not even close, I have a lot of broken records.
If you take out anything involving Hawkes Bay you’re actually one of the more measured fellows around here.
Don't encourage him! FFS!
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@MN5 said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:
@Nepia said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:
@ACT-Crusader said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:
And this might be your most broken record post….
I'm sure it's not even close, I have a lot of broken records.
If you take out anything involving Hawkes Bay, Cullen, Mitchell, Crusaders/Canterbury, Hammett, you’re actually one of the more measured fellows around here.
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@ACT-Crusader said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:
@MN5 said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:
@Nepia said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:
@ACT-Crusader said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:
And this might be your most broken record post….
I'm sure it's not even close, I have a lot of broken records.
If you take out anything involving Hawkes Bay, Cullen, Mitchell, Crusaders/Canterbury, Hammett, you’re actually one of the more measured fellows around here.
oh, and any number of movies that he feels strongly about too
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Oh @Nepia was completely reasonable about Hammett, it was his defenders that were completely unreasonable!
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@No-Quarter said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:
Oh @Nepia was completely reasonable about Hammett, it was his defenders that were completely unreasonable!
Hammer was much maligned - and, I say this as someone who may have succeeded him in his job!
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@Nepia said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:
@ACT-Crusader said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:
Went for Mitchell.
Dark days between 98-02 (signs started in 97 too) and he IMO got it back on track and started to build the foundation of our success for the years ahead.
Picked some very young players too that had talent but still had big question marks.
03 RWC, outcome was unfortunate but an experienced Aussie team had a night.
This might be your most contrarian post ever.
Mitchell's period of success in 2003 was based on Henry's Blues gameplan, and then he neutered it at the RWC by not allowing the forwards to ruck.
Henry had to completely overhaul pretty much everything that went on during Domeheads reign of psychobabble. Pretty much every player's book from that era mentions how fucked the culture was.
That team would have been better with Deans as the head coach, instead he hitched his wagon to Mitchell and blew his chance to be AB coach.
@ACT-Crusader i assume you caught the very fish you were baiting
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Cullen was past in in 03, but yeah, Ben Atiga lol, where did that selection come from?
I remember he was in the Auckland side that took the Shield off Canterbury around the world cup and scored the try to clinch victory, but I have no idea how he got into the convo for an AB RWC spot lol.
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@African-Monkey said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:
Cullen was past in in 03.
He was second top try-scorer in 2003 in both the Super 12 and the NPC.
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@sparky said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:
@African-Monkey said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:
Cullen was past in in 03.
He was second top try-scorer in 2003 in both the Super 12 and the NPC.
Past it may be rough, but not the payer he was after his injury in 2000? My memory is a bit hazy.
Still would have had him and Mehrtens in the squad having said that.
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@African-Monkey said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:
@sparky said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:
@African-Monkey said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:
Cullen was past in in 03.
He was second top try-scorer in 2003 in both the Super 12 and the NPC.
Past it may be rough, but not the payer he was after his injury in 2000? My memory is a bit hazy.
Still would have had him and Mehrtens in the squad having said that.
He was a shadow of his former self but still the best FB in the country at that time is the way I remember it
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No 39 was a peach
Man the AB midfield used to be able to run straight and fast and distribute like a machine gun
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@sparky said in Poll: Best AB coach - professional era:
Most sensible watch that and think "Wow!"
John Hart in 1999 thought "Let's pick him at Centre."
John Mitchell thought "Let's go with Ben Atiga instead."
Cullen's book came out during that RWC so he hadn't so much burned his bridges as ground them into a fine powder, eaten them and shat them down Mitch's throat.
My Nana's poodle was more likely to have been picked at that point!
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@African-Monkey it was a clear case of, we are going to pick someone as emergency cover that won’t ark up if he doesn’t get selected or plays a solitary 3 minutes….(and his name wasn’t Cullen!)
