David Leggat: Sequel to 1982 long overdue

It's high time Steve Sumner, Steve Woodin, Adrian Elrick, Wynton Rufer, Bobby Almond and co had some company.

There is a similarity - although the scale is vastly different - between the All Whites of 1982 and the All Blacks of 1987.

The country went along for a joyous, often madcap, emotion-laden ride 27 years ago as New Zealand capped a nine-month journey by making the World Cup finals in Spain. They played 15 games, finishing by beating China in steamy Singapore to clinch the final spot.

Since then, the All Whites have rarely looked likely to emulate that achievement. It's overdue.

The All Blacks? They won the inaugural World Cup at Eden Park 22 years ago. World domination loomed.

And what happened? Successive cup campaigns foundered either on age (as in players growing old a year too early, if you follow), illness (to paraphrase Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin et al "if you knew Suzy, like they knew Suzy ..."), and various forms of over-confidence.

For the 1982 All Whites, the triumph was making it to the finals, no matter what they said at the time about the games against Scotland, Russia and Brazil; for the All Blacks winning the title is what it's all about, although just making it past the quarter-finals in two years might rate a significant achievement the way things stand.

And for all that rugby heads are keen to trumpet the "global" nature of their game, there's no comparison with soccer, which possesses the greatest single-sport event on the globe every four years.

And New Zealand are 180 minutes away from getting to the Big Show next year. Bahrain stand in their way, quick, skilful footballers who have never made it to the finals. They are ranked No 64, 36 places higher than New Zealand. That shouldn't matter.

Rankings, no matter the sport, are invariably no more than a guide. Take them as gospel? Forget it.

In physical terms, these All Whites have had it easier than their predecessors.

The shifting landscape of world soccer, with Australia now part of Asia, meant New Zealand only had to head off Fiji, Vanuatu, New Caledonia to reach a playoff with the fifth-ranked Asian country. They might not get it this easy again.

But there is a problem in that.

Bahrain have played 18 games between October 2007 and last month just to reach this point. Sumner and co will easily relate to that.

The corollary which Bahrain and the All Whites of 1982 share is that those campaigns enabled squads to form a special bond, to become closely acquainted with their teammates, their capabilities and weaknesses.

Win or lose, delight and despair, you're in it together. By contrast, these All Whites have played six games to get this far, and the last one was 11 months ago.

How is the spirit? Are the players in sync with each other? Do they appreciate how deeply they might have to dig over the two legs, and will they be absolutely certain their teammates are alongside them when things get tough, as they're sure to do over 180 minutes?

It's those sort of things which will prove critical - both tomorrow morning amid the heat and hostility when Bahrain will come at them hard, and in Wellington in the return leg on November 14.

Herbert's starting XI is intriguing. He's using all three strikers, Chris Killen, Shane Smeltz and Rory Fallon. That's bold away from home.

Is it to try and keep Bahrain's defence busy, or simply that he wants his best 11 players on the park from the off? All this and more ...

The first match sets the tone for what will be required of the All Whites in the second. So what will Herbert and his players be after tomorrow?

A win might be beyond them; a draw is not. An away goal would be precious. Avoiding a bath is essential, or Wellington's Cake Tin could be a circle of desolation next month.