The Worst All Blacks results ...

[dogmeat]

@taniwharugby I'm thinking of the comments about the second half and those nasty horrible Frenchmen doing all those horrid underhand things and we were too timid to respond.

Although I do agree with your point - we clearly believed that having put 50 points on them 5 months earlier we just needed to front up. Problem was - we didn't.

[MN5]

@nostrildamus said in The Worst All Blacks results ...:

@mariner4life said in The Worst All Blacks results ...:

@nostrildamus said in The Worst All Blacks results ...:

@MN5 said in The Worst All Blacks results ...:

@Catogrande said in The Worst All Blacks results ...:

@stodders

S’funny. At the time I saw him as your pre-eminent lock. Athletic, good line out forward, ok in the maul and as a carrier. Maybe a bit of a ruck inspector. Not sure who you’d have had above him at the time?

Yeah Jack was good. Him and Williams did a great job although Whitelock and Retallick were a level above.

I don't know, they had some fine games together.

the quintessential NZ locking combination. Perfectly fine fit athletic footballers, both pretty good in the air.

Completely lacking in mongrel, edge, and power.

Williams had plenty of mongrel. Oh, you mean on the field? Carry on.

So did Jack. Fantastic jab.

[antipodean]

@MN5 rugby just looked better back then. Whoever is responsible for removing rucking has a lot to answer for.

[mariner4life]

@antipodean said in The Worst All Blacks results ...:

@MN5 rugby just looked better back then. Whoever is responsible for removing rucking has a lot to answer for.

fuck yes it was, because it's a brutal sport that was allowed to be brutal. Nothing wrong with any of that at all. Can you imagine the 5 minute TMO review and the number of cards now? No one will convince me it's a better product

Also, who is the massive cat in Black 6 who backs right off when Andrews turns on him, but rushes in to stomp the fuck out of the tackler?

[Tim]

@mariner4life Flavell?

[taniwharugby]

@mariner4life that'd be a red card and about 12 weeks nowadays

[MN5]

@Tim said in The Worst All Blacks results ...:

@mariner4life Flavell?

Just picking his moments for filth. Signs of a class ( dirty ) player

Imagining Flavell trying to stay on the field for the full 80 in todays game is too hilarious for words.

[KiwiMurph]

@Tim said in The Worst All Blacks results ...:

@mariner4life Flavell?

Yep Flavell.

[Crucial]

@mariner4life said in The Worst All Blacks results ...:

@antipodean said in The Worst All Blacks results ...:

@MN5 rugby just looked better back then. Whoever is responsible for removing rucking has a lot to answer for.

fuck yes it was, because it's a brutal sport that was allowed to be brutal. Nothing wrong with any of that at all. Can you imagine the 5 minute TMO review and the number of cards now? No one will convince me it's a better product

Also, who is the massive cat in Black 6 who backs right off when Andrews turns on him, but rushes in to stomp the fuck out of the tackler?

Even more stupid is that the saffa that gets rucked would probably earn a penalty for a turnover attempt yet back then he was rightly deemed 'killing the ball'

[Victor Meldrew]

@dogmeat said in The Worst All Blacks results ...:

Plus having a pack that was so shite against the Lions that we were reduced to packing down three man scrums.

Ironically, the '77 AB's turned things around with stuff like that and all sorts of weird lineout variations. It was really intelligent play which threw the Lions completely off balance. Great AB backline though - one of the best ever.

[Victor Meldrew]

@MN5 said in The Worst All Blacks results ...:

@Victor-Meldrew said in The Worst All Blacks results ...:

@MN5 said in The Worst All Blacks results ...:

I don’t think this era can be topped.

Oh yes it can....

1970-71 - Three Test losses on the trot
1971 - First series loss to the Lions
1972 - First loss to an England club side (twice)
1972 - First draw with an Irish club side
1973 - First time we didn't win against Ireland (10-10 draw)
1973 - Lost to France for the first time in 20 years
1973 - Lost to the NZ Juniors
1973 - Lost to a NZ Invitation Side
1973 - First loss to England at home (Eden Park)

Still, on the bright side, things did pick up after about 5 years and 3-4 new coaches

Hmmmmm I’m not convinced.

I think the consecutive Irish losses seals the deal for me personally.

Them winning ONE test in NZ is a hell of an effort when you consider their overall history. To do manage two is pretty damning.

The EOYT has disaster written all over it too.

You'd have to go an awful long way to be worse than the '70's ABs with their record. Current crop still have a few years to do that though, I guess

[booboo]

@mariner4life said in The Worst All Blacks results ...:

@nostrildamus said in The Worst All Blacks results ...:

2007: against France in a RWC. That is all I need to write

a team we have a 7-2 record against in World Cups? You need to write a bit more.

We play France a lot in that tournament by the way.

Only lost to them twice

[booboo]

@mariner4life said in The Worst All Blacks results ...:

i expect to beat anybody every time we play them.

FIFY

[booboo]

@taniwharugby said in The Worst All Blacks results ...:

for me, the 1st half of the 3rd Irish test this year was the worst I have ever seen the ABs play, it was just awful, even worse than the 2nd half of the 1999 semi v France.

This.

Confirmed me into the 'Foster must go' mob.

[dogmeat]

@Victor-Meldrew I agree it was clever tactics but it did highlight our weaknesses in the tight 5.

I think your memory is playing tricks with you re the backline.

First couple of tests we had Batty play with his crocked knee in the first and then forced to retire (his intercept a major contribution to us winning the series). We had the Colin Farrell debacle and Going finally dropped

This is the backline for the last two tests

L. J. Davis
O. D. Bruce
B. R. Ford
W. M. Osborne
B. J. Robertson
B. G. Williams
B. W. Wilson

Predominantly journeymen. I reckon most Ferners woudn't know much about many of them.

Ironically despite being bullied in the set piece the forwards weren't so shabby

The back three in particular could thrive in the modern game

J. T. McEldowney
R. W. Norton (C)
W. K. Te P. Bush
A. M. Haden
F. J. Oliver
G. N. K. Mourie
I. A. Kirkpatrick
L. G. Knight

[booboo]

@dogmeat said in The Worst All Blacks results ...:

@Victor-Meldrew I agree it was clever tactics but it did highlight our weaknesses in the tight 5.

I think your memory is playing tricks with you re the backline.

First couple of tests we had Batty play with his crocked knee in the first and then forced to retire (his intercept a major contribution to us winning the series). We had the Colin Farrell debacle and Going finally dropped

This is the backline for the last two tests

L. J. Davis
O. D. Bruce
B. R. Ford
W. M. Osborne
B. J. Robertson
B. G. Williams
B. W. Wilson

Predominantly journeymen. I reckon most Ferners woudn't know much about many of them.

Ironically despite being bullied in the set piece the forwards weren't so shabby

The back three in particular could thrive in the modern game

J. T. McEldowney
R. W. Norton (C)
W. K. Te P. Bush
A. M. Haden
F. J. Oliver
G. N. K. Mourie
I. A. Kirkpatrick
L. G. Knight

Any backline with Robertson and William's is not shabby. Bruce and Osborne more than handy.

Wilson filled his role nicely and gave us goal kicker.

That leaves Ford whose name I recall (Marlborough?) But not much else. Cant say Davis stays in my memory..

And you're right, that forward pack seems ok.

[Crazy Horse]

@MN5 said in The Worst All Blacks results ...:

@nostrildamus said in The Worst All Blacks results ...:

@mariner4life said in The Worst All Blacks results ...:

@nostrildamus said in The Worst All Blacks results ...:

@MN5 said in The Worst All Blacks results ...:

@Catogrande said in The Worst All Blacks results ...:

@stodders

S’funny. At the time I saw him as your pre-eminent lock. Athletic, good line out forward, ok in the maul and as a carrier. Maybe a bit of a ruck inspector. Not sure who you’d have had above him at the time?

Yeah Jack was good. Him and Williams did a great job although Whitelock and Retallick were a level above.

I don't know, they had some fine games together.

the quintessential NZ locking combination. Perfectly fine fit athletic footballers, both pretty good in the air.

Completely lacking in mongrel, edge, and power.

Williams had plenty of mongrel. Oh, you mean on the field? Carry on.

So did Jack. Fantastic jab.

My memory tells me Jack thumped one of the Bok locks (Andrews?) in his debut too. Eden Park?

[dogmeat]

@booboo Brain Ford was NZ sprint champion IIRC although may be confusing him with A N Other (Terry Mitchell?)

Lyn Davis was the long serving (since early 60's) half back who had the misfortune to be playing in the same era as Laidlaw and Going. He was past his best but was finally deemed better than Going (who had been in decline for a long time and had been a handicap to the backline) He played a couple of tests and retired at the end of the year.

Those two Bruce and Wilson were journeymen. Osborne and BeeGee* were very good AB's and Robertson has to be mentioned in any discussion of the greatest AB centre. I just don't think that makes it as @Victor-Meldrew said one od the greatest AB backlines of all time

• In a poll that year of every first class player in NZ BeeGee was rated the most over-rated player in the country

[Rapido]

I think first test at Christchurch v France 1994 was the worst I have ever seen us play. In an individual game. That I remember.

We actually responded really well in the second test, but try from the end of the world and all that.

The Mains years were certainly interesting.

[Machpants]

@Rapido said in The Worst All Blacks results ...:

I think first test at Christchurch v France 1994 was the worst I have ever seen us play. In an individual game. That I remember.

We actually responded really well in the second test, but try from the end of the world and all that.

The Mains years were certainly interesting.

AH I remember the thing knwn as the Blacklash…