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Former All Blacks captain Buck Shelford says professional rugby has created worrying issues for All Blacks - but he still can't understand Daniel Carter's non-appearance for Canterbury in the Air NZ Cup final nor his comments that the pressure of the All Black jersey was a "burden".
In his new book (Buck Shelford - The Man, The Story, The Truth), Shelford says of Carter: "If it's a burden, why's he still playing? He can leave when he wants. You don't have to put it [the All Black jersey] on. That's the pressure of the job. You have to be able to handle that pressure. If you can't, get out."
Interviewed in Wellington this week, Shelford said he was also surprised when Carter opted out of the Air New Zealand Cup final last month.
"I know coach Rob Penney was unhappy with Daniel not playing - so why didn't Canterbury say to him, `Well, you are contracted to us so you are playing'?
"Daniel is not just contracted to the All Blacks. He is contracted to Air NZ Cup level as well. What are we saying - that the contract isn't worth anything?
"Some of the arguments that Daniel advanced were fair enough - the young fella [Canterbury rookie first five-eighths Colin Slade] played well and probably deserved his place - but we all know that Carter would have added a new dimension to that game.
"So he went out for the test match against Australia last night with half a game under his belt. Good preparation? I don't think so."
Before this goes any further, it is important to point out that Shelford - one of this country's true rugby icons, beloved for his follow-me leadership and embodiment of what it means to be an All Black - is aware that he may sound like an "in my day..." All Black; a relic from an age when All Black rugby sat on top of the world.
He understands that professional rugby has brought new pressures; that All Blacks 2008 are different from his superb team of 1988; and that there are many more tests, more trainings, more sponsor calls and many more obligations on players now.
But he queries all that. He is not blaming Carter and his ilk - although he does feel many need to `harden up'. His finger points more at the effect professional rugby has had on the game here and the need to overhaul it.
"Over the top" is a phrase that occurs often in his assessment. So is "we've got the wrong model". Shelford feels strongly that the New Zealand game has to look carefully at itself to avoid potentially grave mistakes.
Like `player welfare', the rallying call of the Graham Henry era with the controversial rotation, rehabilitation and reconditioning mantras.
"I understand why it's necessary in a professional environment," Shelford says, "but they could be going over the top with it, I think. You can go overboard when it comes to player welfare - like this All Black tour with 35 players. Some, maybe as many as 10, will only get one game. What will they learn from that? What will the coaches learn about those players?"
Shelford says modern All Blacks have too many calls on their time and that's what he thinks may have sparked Carter's "burden" comment.
"They have meeting after meeting and I think many of them get meeting-ed out. They train twice a day, have meetings in between, meetings afterwards, one-on-one meetings and then they have all this extra work with sponsors and all that jazz.
"We had one meeting, trained, had lunch and the afternoon off. I know there is a need for more training these days - these guys are fitter than we were - but we had a better balance."
Because of night rugby, Shelford says All Blacks do not finish their official `work' until near midnight after test matches. That, and the requirement to do more with various audiences on a daily basis, meant few All Blacks were seen naturally in public any more.
"I always say to young guys in the All Blacks to get out there and meet people. You know, you hardly ever see All Blacks out on the town or having a drink somewhere these days.
"That's because the perception is that it is all right to do that if you win but if you lose, you hide. I tell them to front up, to be honest and talk to people about what happened in the game they lost because, if they do, word filters through and it shows people that the All Blacks are human."
Shelford says the coaching model being passed down from the NZRU is too homogenous. "It's all the same material, it's all the same techniques and everyone is being coached exactly the same way. There is no sense of individuality.
"We get kids coming from school, age group rugby, through the academies and into rep teams and they are all coached the same - there's no place for the small prop or the nimble little guy at first-five because we are all opting for big, power players.
"If you look at the professional models around the world, you have to wonder whether we are trying to do too much with our rugby players in the professional era. We are trying to gear them up with so many qualities and to force all this knowledge and all these obligations on to them. We are trying to fast-track our youth because so many experienced players have left - and a lot of them are struggling with it.
"They need the evolution of time and age. Our model is wrong and we have to sort it out. If we keep losing players offshore, there won't be many left for the Super 14."
Having said that, Shelford also has a crack at today's players. He says the new generation of All Blacks get over their losses far faster than in his time; that the fear of losing has diminished.
"That's because they have many more tests and they have to focus on the next one, whereas we had fewer and the hurt stayed around for longer. We felt it more."
In his book he says: "I played with guys who'd dislocated a shoulder, put it back in and carried on. That doesn't happen today because they're weaker. Their attitude is soft. And if you're soft in that respect, how can I rely on you when the pressure is on during a game?"
* Buck Shelford: The Man, The Story, The Truth, HarperSports
