KEY POINTS:
Here is an earlier selection of Your Views:
Steven
McCaw, is without doubt the stand out No 7 in World rugby ,he is assisted by the reverence that referees offer him, e.g. Rolland in the SA test " ruck black 7 ruck black 7 ruck black 7 etc etc ad nauseum." I thought referees had a whistle and yellow cards for persistent infringement? Or is it like the story about W.G. Grace the great England cricketer who when clean bowled was given a "no ball" let off. The bowler clearly fed up quietly asked the Umpire "WTF?" or the early 20th century equivalent. Umpire replies:" the crowd are here to see Dr. Grace bat,not see you bowl him out".Let's see if the RWC Referees allow him the latitude granted the good Dr.
Nigel (Sydney)
There is no doubt McCaw is a great player but I don't think he is a great captain yet. Compare him to George Gregan - George runs his team and the Ref. He slows the game up and uses the chat like Fitzpatrick used to. The ABs dominated the scrum against the Wallabies so George held back the put in time and time again to negate the advantage. I didn't hear McCaw or Kelleher make a squeak. They should have been telling the Ref to get the ball in the scrum and really highlighting the negative tactics - now that would have been good captaincy.
Anton Vernall (Seattle)
Captaincy doesn't make much difference when your going forward. Last night SA proved again that they have superior forwards. With 7 forwards after 2 yellows Aus where unable to dominate their B/C team. What worries me is ABs were also unable to dominate SA 7 forwards last week. Remembering SA were also 6 players off there top team,no2,6,8,10,13,14.and we were 1 player off full strength.Our problem is we try and play tactical percentage rugby,which doesn't work against power and mongrel.NZ is also missing ball carriers and lineouts are still a lolly scramble with no power for the drive, cant play with out platform. Solution is the 2 most dominating forwards in NZ. Won the NPC with ease, the inform S14 team. buried Canterbury at home, threw Mccaw like a rag doll.If we don't play them we will lose the world cup simple as that. Keith mongrel Robinson for 80,Rag doll Luaki for 30. Warren Gatland next all black coach, bye Henry.
Fili (Sydney)
The All Blacks know they're running out of time and I'm pretty confident that they will get the job done this weekend - they're gonna have to.The rebuilding phase has passed, the rotation policy accomplished and the reconditioning period has been completed. The time has come to maintain our best team/s for both the Bledisloe and Tri-Nations and ultimately carry the hopes of our proud nation to World Cup glory. No more excuses, no more choking, no more pondering what might've been. We all as proud New Zealanders, deserve nothing more than a world recognition of being World Cup champions in our sport. It's a bit rich but let's face it, anyone anywhere on the globe will not expect anything less. Go the All Blacks!Due to injuries or other unforseen circumstances, here's my team for this week - 15 Mils Muliaina / 14 Doug Howlett / 13 Ma'a Nonu / 12 Luke McAlister / 11 Sitiveni Sivivatu / 10 Dan Carter / 9 Piri Weepu / 8 Sione Lauaki / 7 Richie McCaw (c) / 6 Jerry Collins / 5 Troy Flavell / 4 Chris Jack / 3 Carl Hayman / 2 Keven Mealamu / 1 Tony Woodcock 16 Andrew Hore / 17 Neemia Tialata / 18 Ross Filipo / 19 Rodney So'oialo / 20 Brendon Leonard / 21 Isaia Toeava / 22
Pete G
Yes ,the AB,s should win the upcoming match against the Springboks. They,ll be smarting over the loss to the wallabies, where they were made to look foolishly, out thought and towards the end out played , Gregan was masterful again his mouth non-stop in the refs ear, helped do the damage,(once again). The real deal, and main event is now the clash at Eden park against the wallabies it will be a defining match deciding who will take the mental,high ground and confidence into the world cup. The ABs must win at all costs and win well,(let's hope South Africa leave some of our stars? physically intact, cheap shots included,!).
McCav (Auckland)
The Springboks won't beat the All Blacks for the simple reason that their coach is a moron. I have listened to his pre and post match comments over the last few weeks, and without fail the guy has contradicted himself each time. Before the All Blacks v Boks game in Durban, White stated that Boks were in a better position than the All Blacks because they had taken their Super 14 form thru and the ABs were underdone. After the Boks lost; it was because the Boks were "tired". Then last week we heard White saying that the Bok side he has brought to NZ and Aus was just as good as the one that played in the republic. Then after Saturday nights game Hite made the comment that he "never expected" his team to win. What a moron.Its no wonder SA have such a poor away record (won 4, lost 8 since '05). They don't have a coach with any semblance of intelligence.
England
It seems that what Moffet's describing is the English Premiership in every thing but name. In order for it to work and create a genuine competition however there has to be something at stake, e.g. relegation? It will also require releasing some control of the players so the competition is not just a development tool for the national team. A tool that currently can have its main assets, the players, withdrawn to suit the needs of the national side. Anything less spectators will see through for the sham it will be. Kicking out South Africa will not give you what Moffett seems to desire.
Macca (England)
One minute the Tri-Nations is the best in the world rugby and now all this bickering about the Boks sending a second string team and the Aussies doing the bit on McCaw. He is & has been the best most consistent player in the world. Look what he did to the 2005 Lions! You do not become a poor player after one average performance!
Kiwi Desert Rat (Dubai)
Don't see the problem with McCaw's captain place in the ABs, I certainly don't think Graham Henry has either.
LC (Hamilton)
Rattue is wrong - the Super 14 may need re-jigging, but having the South African teams is awesome! And the springboks - even when they are bad, the test are always hard, physical affairs. Maybe the Tri-Nations is too long (back to two games home and away? then we can play a test against another country, Argentina or a PI nation?). But to turn our backs on one of the greatest rivalries in international rugby? As Jake White said, South Africans "get born to play rugby against New Zealand. That's why we get born in this country." how can you deny that passion? With just the Aussies, it will be like a big domestic competition, and we will be increasingly isolated from world rugby. More international matches, not less!
Adrian (Australia)
Eddie jones is clearly a poor rugby coach and this is all just a big wind up. Richie, like any great captain should be allowed to have an off game. Too many though - and yes, it can then start to be questioned. By the way, all the anti-Aussie sentiment being posted has nothing to do with this particular debate, and is just typical saffa/kiwi drivel - because without rugby, your lives are meaningless and you just can't handle that Australia (with rugby as a 4th or 5th string sport) stands a good chance of winning the world cup again.
Ed (Auckland)
I believe Ritchie McCaw is a great captain & an awesome player. He leads from the front, he gives credit to his opponents & doesn't complain if his team loses. He only gets pulled up for infringements because other teams get in the refs ear & puts pressure on them. He may create penalties but he doesn't deliberately go out there intending on getting penalised. Although other players target him & try take him out of the game but get away with it. Good on you Ritchie, you're the man. About this Tri-Nations fiasco going on with the Boks, I say keep them. The competition is the best in the World because of the teams in it. I say keep the Boks too. Go the All Blacks.
Bemused (Auckland)
Although the All Blacks are by far the best team in the world at rugby they do need to be careful of alienating themselves from the rest of the world. A great team is only made by having great opposition.
D (Australia)
Welcome to professionalism! Money talks. Let's be truthful here. This issue with the pedigree of the National sides only rear their heads in a RWC year. Once every 4 year RWC is king! Get over it! Teams will be resting and evaluate depth just prior. It will all be back to normal next year. SA are the ones who actually get the short end of the stick as they are usually the ones away from home longer than Australia and NZ side when on tour. I don't think the travel is the problem, I think it is the number of matches being played. The more the players play the more money they make and the same for the unions and broadcasters. S14 is the problem. 14 is a 16-17 week tournament. That's about 4 months! Then you have NH teams tour here, Tri-Nations and SH teams going to NH! And we expect the best players to play every match? Ha ha! Yeah, if they were playing tidly winks!
Here are some ideas:
Split S14 teams into 2 pools. Top 2 teams of each pool play knock outs for the title. That could shorten the tournament by 6 to 8 weeks! Or, finalists of the Sanzar nations domestic compo's go into a Super 6 Tournament. Only in a RWC year? Then we will see the best in the tests!
Nisha (Auckland)
AB have been winning all the games and suddenly lose one (things don't go your way all the time no matter how much one would want it). I am surprised that people can jump to conclusions in that questioning Richie's captaincy. He is a world class player, captain and a role model for our other players in the team. How dare Eddie makes such comments, he should look at cleaning his own yard before making such comments. Shame on you!
Dew
I have a concern, not about the Captaincy, not about South Africa and their antics. My concern is why are the All Blacks being yellow carded so often these days. It was not Australia's sublime play that won the game for them on the weekend, it was the sin binning of Carl Heyman. This has been occurring with more regularity than it should be and as was seen on the weekend it cost the All Blacks the game. Carter should also be benched or dropped entirely and the young chap from Otago put into 1st 5 in his place. It may make him pull his finger out of his butt and actually start playing rugby rather than being the poser he has become.
Arron
Chris from Cape Town is talking crap about the Saffa teams having so much more of an exhaustive travel schedule than the other teams. I think they actually have an advantage in that they get to tour for a few weeks, bond as a touring party, and get all their major away games done in one prolonged trip. The Kiwis and the Aussies must make more exhausting shorter duration trips over to the republic without having the opportunity to gel as a touring party. No, don't blame the travel for the SA teams bad record in the Super 14, blame their mediocre 10-man style of rugby and their obsession with kicking drop goals from their own side of halfway. Lack of imagination and flair is rather to blame. The prime example is the boring Boks who couldn't even put away a dreadful AB team with a case of the dropsies a couple of weeks ago.
Bruce
I don't buy this argument that the so-travel factor is just too much within a Super 14 campaign (or Tri-Nations campaign for that matter) when I read in yesterdays paper that the Crusaders and Sharks are exploring taking a Super 14 match to London!
Chris (Johannesburg)
Please can somebody tell me what good it will do if Aus, NZ and PI go at it alone? Firstly that competition will be a glorified domestic championship. To those who think S14 is boring, the rugby will be more boring since the only real international flavour will be gone! You will lose most of the African and European TV audiences (and income). But hey, thanks for the suggestion, SA rugby will be much better off financially with Europe. Since many of NZ's best talents are moving to Europe anyway, who needs to travel across the Indian Ocean, over Australia and the Tasman to play Kiwi's? SA sides can even (later on - out of generosity) have an agreement with NZ and Aus to field some of their players to give them an opportunity to play in a premier international competition against their own European based players. Wake-up O'Neill and Rattue, you need SA more than SA needs you!
South Africa
Richie is the best captain in world rugby to date. I'm South African born but have always supported NZ rugby. There is no-one who fits the profile better than him.
Chris = springboks (Cape Town)
Hi guys! I have great respect for the All Blacks! They are a great rugby playing nation like South Africa! Unfortunately Australia was also discovered a couple of hundred years ago! (Who was that fool?) However, I don't understand the big issue around SA leaving their top Boks at home! All the Zanzar countries have done it before! And now we are the big bad wolves! Maybe Aus want to get rid of the Springboks because they are scared.
That is the only reason I can think of. ABs I want you to know that I will always back you if you are not playing against the Boks! To be honest it will not be a surprise to me if our "B" team smash Australia on Saturday! Go play Aus-rules you look like, with those tight fitting pants!
Dave Sanchez, Kiwi (London)
I think this was a positive result for the AB's. Yes it hurts, but I feel it takes a little pressure off them leading up to the WC.
Ritchie is an outstanding player and excellent captain. Maybe I'd like to see him in the refs ear a little more though when the opposition do things like - refusing to put the ball into the scrum (George you little whimp). Sean Fitzpatrick, in my opinion the best captain we've had in the last 20 years, was a master at "communicating" with the ref. And finally, Eddie who?
Matt J (Ex pat)
Yeah Eddie Jones comments need to be taken with a very large pinch of salt. He's entitled to an opinion but he also has to expect to cop a bit of flak for making ridiculous statements. I still think Richie McCaw is by far the best choice to lead the All Blacks to the 2007 World Cup. Only a fool ignorant of his superb track record would replace him at this stage. At the end of the day the AB's have won the Tri-Nations more times than Oz and Sth Africa put together. If we end up sacrificing this years tournament to keep the ABs for peak top firing form in September, so what, as more people will remember who wins the IRB World Cup this year. Who will really care who won the Bledisloe Cup this time next year? As for the Sringboks leaving the Tri-Nations, joining the 6 Nations would make more sense with regards to travel and jet lag and there's far more money to be had with northern hemisphere TV rights. But I hear Argentina are more favoured to join that party. I reackon SANZAR need to look at including a combined Pacific Islands Team to play in the Tri-Nations. Considering what the Pacific nations have contributed to Southern Hemisphere Rugby it would be a justified move.
Chris
The ABS still have time but they need to think serious and stay focussed they are still in a better position to do a come back if they believe in themselves the Aussies are always a good side and should be but regardless who cares if they win or not there still the best team in the world just on consistency which really counts because if I had to wait every 4 years for my team to fire up I'd rather follow another team. The world cup is a one-off tournament every 4 years. It just comes down to luck, just ask the great England world champs. Now that's what you call consistency.
Go McCaw, it's a 15 man game come the end of the day, every one need to pull finger including the coaches.
DW
I think we should wait till the world cup is over before his captaincy is put under the microscope. If he leads the team to victory then he will be vindicated, if not obviously a closer look at the whole teams performance will be needed.
Nigel du Preez
I agree 100 per cent with 'Joeli Vidiri'. The NZ media, AB supporters worldwide, commentators, etc should all get behind our team. This is the RWC year. Remember the battle of Nantes? Don't be too critical over our management and decisions they're making. For Carter and even at fullback we have an very reliable gamebreaker in Nick Evans and as for out outside centre concerns, yes it is valid and yes, why did Mills not start at outside & Sitivini at fullback? And why are we not aggressively attacking from set phases and why are we not mauling, etc, etc? We are 'holding back'. (Pity Casey Laulala is not in the frame).
C'mon guys and ladies, get behind the All Blacks. Supports them now more than ever. We are often too critical of poor performances. They're human after all and this recent loss is a great motivation for us to take the cup back to Aoteroa.
Regards from Cape Town
Chris (Cape Town)
I think it is time South Africa pushed the boat out on the SANZAR union. For years now South Africa has struggled with the exhaustive schedule of the Super 14. Some times our teams are on the other side of the world for 6 weeks at a time, were as most NZ and Aus tours tend to broken into two tours the local NZ Aus to and three weeks in SA. A union with the northern hemisphere sides would suite our teams a lot better. The time zones are closer with a 9 hour flight. Another problem South Africa is experiencing is the exodus of players to the UK and France. If South African teams could get into the Heineken cup and align our season to the European season it would be easier to access players playing abroad. There is also far more money in the European competition. This would enable the SA unions to pay more and would slow the Exodus. I do however feel the Tri-Nations is a good Southern competition. It would be interesting to see the product of a Heineken cup team SA vs the NZ Aus union teams. Good bye super 14.
Sherls (Sydney)
I am a passionate Wallaby supporter and yes am happy for the win against the mighty ABs but comments like Eddy's are just stupidity. This is only going to fire up the best flanker in the world (who is part of the best team in the world) to want to smash the Wallabies at the next Bledisloe. Madness! That being said, if Ritchie had a bit more gamesmanship like Sean Fitzpatrick for example, he would be the ultimate leader.
Mahee (Sri Lanka)
No, I think there's no problems with Mac's captaincy. He is the best captain for ABs to lead them further. New Zealand is the favourite to the WC2007. I think they can defend the Tri-Nation Cup this time too. Hope, that our champs can take revenge at home with the Leadership of Mac's. Wish All Blacks good luck!
Te heu heu
I have read the comments with interest regarding Richie's captaincy and his so called inability to be 'streetwise' with the ref a la George Gregan. The first thing that comes to mind is the way that Richie carries himself on and off the field. The thing I most respect is the way he talks to refs. It seems the opposite with George. He always seems to be harping on about something, arms waving incessantly, "dobbing" on players instead of actually playing the game. I would prefer that the captain of the All Blacks displayed true sportsmanship and good grace whatever decision the ref hands down as well as when the match has finished. Richie does that and leads by actions rather than hollow words. What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. King Richie to bring home the cup!
Roscoe
Sooner or later we are going to have to stop listening to the Aussies talk us out of winning games. They did a beaut on us last test. Who's Eddie Jones?
Srumma
This is world cup year people and Henry ain't going to change his captain over night. Ritchie has too much respect in the camp from players to coaches to die hard fans even after the world cup he will still be captain, he just needs to question the refs decisions as a captain should do.
Tim (Adelaide)
Point 1: Eddie is an idiot. But has he tapped into the NZ RWC panic. Maybe the larger question should be, Who would you replace McCaw with? He is one of the best athletes rugby has ever produced, also one of the best cheaters in world rugby at the moment (or he was until the referee's started penalising him for his repeated infringements) but then he is a flanker. He doesn't command the refs respect when he is one of the biggest offenders, but he is an amazing presence on the field. There is no-one better at the moment. If you had someone better you wouldn't have collapsed in the second half on Saturday night. Cheer up, your still heavy favourites for the RWC. Lose the next couple of games though and.......
David, Bok supporter
Totally agree with Chris, SA rugby is far better served by heading north where both the money and the interest lies. NZers find it hard to get excited about the SA S14 teams? Ditto this side of the Indian, the performances of the NZ and AUS sides in SA this year were disgraceful - one NZ side won once here with one draw, and two SA sides in the final reflect the growth of the game here. SA supporters and SA rugby need new challenges. I say let Aus and NZ play with themselves in their 'expanded' (i.e. 2 nations? - go figure that) and let SA rugby move onwards and upwards (i.e. north).
Grant James (Perth)
Australia and New Zealand go it alone - are you joking! Why should New Zealand rugby hitch its wagon exclusively to a nation where rugby's profile is a distant fourth behind the other football codes? Do New Zealanders appreciate that in 4 of Australia's 6 states the general public don't even differentiate between rugby and league, and in the remaining 2 states the AFL's profile has eclipsed Rugbys. No one wants to join a competition whose profile plummets in most of the regions that it is played in simply because an AFL player has a cold. Let's face it, there are three countries where rugby is in the blood: NZ, South Africa and Wales. It is a minor sport every where else. We need the springbok rivalry.
Zap (Melbourne)
I mostly agree with Mr Rattue's treatise on the future setup of the Super 14 and the what we currently call the Tri Nations. However, being from Melbourne, I would like a Melbourne-based rugby team. There are many more Union fans in Melbourne than league, something which Mr Rattue has not taken into account. Also, I would like to see some Argentinean teams involved.
Sarel Joubert (South Africa)
Hi there, I am a very passionate rugby supporter and would like to ask this question: Why put pressure on the South African Rugby Union now? Since "apartheid" in South Africa were canned and we got back in the international sporting scene, we had always had a B-team. In the Super games and in the international games we had to select a percentage black/white/coloured people, leaving most of our best players still on the bench/home. Transformation as it is called here. If Chris Rattue and David Moffet know so much about SA rugby, they should know we had our B-team always on the field.
Ccrumma (Perth)
Don't be foolish, the Tri-Nations is the best competition in the world. To drop South Africa from the comp would be like putting a hangman's noose around your neck without the executioner, NZ,& Aussie will be hanging themselves. This is world cup year, the management in the NZRU have already stuffed up once by way of not hosting the last World Cup and the country missed out on millions of dollars, all 3 unions make this competition the best in the world we should look at also bringing in Argentina to make it stronger as they are an isolated country with no real competition, only tests matches they are granted each year by the international rugby board. Yet they still beat a lot of stronger nations year in year out, think outside the circle people.
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