All Blacks stung by gaping hole in legacy

Chris Foley

A date etched in the minds of the All Blacks as a day they again failed in a World Cup campaign and began another quest to unite their top world ranking with rugby's holy grail.

The side consistantly ranked number one in the world has a well-documented history of World Cup collapses which has earned them the tag of chokers on the big stage.

But this time, 24 years after their only taste of World Cup success, coach Graham Henry and his squad have a steely resolve to prove their critics wrong.

"Winning a Rugby World Cup is not part of our legacy and that hurts," he said in a recent interview, reviewing the history of a side with a 75 percent winning average since 1903 and has been the world Team of the Year four times in the past six years.

Swagger

The swagger the All Blacks took into past World Cup campaigns has gone as the pain of the 20-18 loss to France in the 2007 quarter-finals remains as a constant reminder that nothing can be taken for granted.

Henry has assembled a vastly experienced squad - many of whom have been through two failed World Cup ventures- and learning from the past has become the theme of the All Blacks build up this time.

In particular, Henry knows his 2007 ploy of resting key players so they would be fit for the final is irrelevant if the team is knocked out before making the final. His controversial rest and rotation policy of previous years has gone although half of the first choice side was kept out of the second Tri-Nations Test against South Africa with Henry arguing it was necessary to run an eye over the balance of his Cup squad.

World record

In their previous match against Australia, they showed their depth of experience by fielding a side with a world record 750 caps and an average age of nearly 29 - older than the ageing England unit who won the 2003 World Cup.

They comfortably beat the second ranked side in the world 30-14 but Henry refused to see the performance as a World Cup omen.

"It's a good story isn't it about having the psychological advantage, but there are far too many occasions in the past when that hasn't amounted to a result in the Rugby World Cup," Henry said of the win.

"If we get complacent about this victory it will be curtains (at the World Cup) I'd say."

After winning the inaugural World Cup, hosted by New Zealand in 1987, the All Blacks have only made the finals once since, beaten in extra-time by South Africa in 1995.

Henry now sees a chance to atone for past disappointments and admits to still being haunted by the loss to France four years ago. "Obviously it hurt, and still hurts," he said.

Grand Slam

Since then the All Blacks have racked up Grand Slam success in the northern hemisphere and Tri-Nations titles in the south while mindful that in 2007 the Springboks were last in the Tri-Nations but won the World Cup. In the Tri-Nations Tests, the build-up to the World Cup, the All Blacks backed up their natural fast-paced game with a dogged defence which Wallabies' coach Robbie Deans singled out as "important come World Cup time".

Of the current All Blacks squad, captain Richie McCaw along with Dan Carter, Mils Muliaina, Ma'a Nonu, Keven Mealamu, Brad Thorn and Ali Williams first tasted World Cup pressure in 2003. Andrew Hore, Tony Woodcock, Andy Ellis and Conrad Smith were there in 2007 and Henry rates previous World Cup experience as significant.

"It doesn't guarantee anything but it is important."

WELLINGTON, Friday (AFP) - October 6, 2007.