Grand Slam success not Henry's main goal

What strange times we live in when an All Black side can claim a Grand Slam and not necessarily have achieved its main goal.

Results were only of secondary importance on the tour of the UK. They were maybe more important than coach Graham Henry was keen to have us believe but it really was a voyage of discovery.

If the All Blacks hadn't managed to hold on against England, it would have been disappointing. If Jason Eaton, Chris Masoe, John Afoa, Neemia Tialata and Nick Evans had turned out to be hopelessly equipped for test football, it would've been catastrophic.

Henry has the air of a man who doesn't see himself going beyond the World Cup in 2007. He has thrown every egg he possesses into one basket.

His coaching career is absolutely the kind that needs a fitting closure. Ending 20 barren World Cup years would be the best way to preserve a legacy that needs one last significant contribution - just to dilute the acidic taste of his time with the Lions in 2001 and the unfortunate ending of his Welsh tenure.

Henry, without couching it in such blunt terms, has asked for an expectant New Zealand public to lower their sights while he puts in place some vital building blocks. Judgment is on hold until 2007.

So the Grand Slam of 2005 cannot be seen in isolation. It must be viewed in the big picture - not as an entity in itself but as a bridge leading to France, where Henry reckons he can only win if he has 30 genuine test quality players in his squad. It would be presumptuous, two years out from the tournament, to say the All Blacks are already there. But this morning, they are certainly much closer to that goal than they were four weeks ago.

Both Afoa and Tialata went into the underworld of test scrummaging and came out clutching scalps. Eaton clawed down the escaping Irish wing Anthony Horgan in Dublin and didn't flinch when asked to hold the fort against the slightly maddened Danny Grewcock at Twickenham.

And then there was Masoe. With Marty Holah fishing in Waihi with a nation's sympathy, there was much for Masoe to prove. It seems, though, getting the best out of Masoe is no more complex than winding him up and letting him go.

Asked after the titanic battle with England whether the All Blacks had missed Richie McCaw, assistant coach Steve Hansen replied: "I think that we have to be reflecting on the performance of Chris Masoe and feeling pretty warm inside I would suggest.

"He performed on the top stage and he performed very well. It was just his second test. Out of what was a disappointment we got a huge plus. Sometimes you get lucky."

It wasn't so much luck as judgment. Masoe had shown up well for both the Hurricanes and Taranaki. The selectors could see he had the raw power and natural instincts.

What they didn't know was whether he had the temperament - the ability to piece the component parts together in the fierce cauldron of a test. Now the selectors have their answer. They have yet another loose-forward option.

And they also have another option at first-five, with Nick Evans brushing aside fears he would be operating outside his comfort zone. With his first touch in Dublin, he looked up, saw space out wide and shifted the ball. It was all so natural that worrying about how Evans might have fared seemed laughable.

His Irish opposite, Ronan O'Gara, a veteran of two British Lions tours and a man who boasts 52 Irish caps, used his first touch to smack the ball into the stands.

There was never any other thought in the Munster man's head. The contrast between the two individuals epitomised the gulf between the two teams.

The All Blacks played on this tour with a telepathic understanding of what they were trying to achieve. Each man knew his role and how it affected the collective unit. That was arguably the biggest plus for the coaches. They swapped the team each week and there was no loss of momentum.

No one needed time to bed in and no one copped out of playing what they saw in front of them. The teams they encountered, on the other hand, had no concept of relying on their instincts. They followed prescribed patterns which meant the ball was always hoofed away from inside their own 22.

That inflexible, play-by-numbers approach cost England the game at Twickenham. Reduced to 14 men for most of the second half, the All Blacks should never have been allowed to hang on to win.

England had the possession but their midfield pairing of Mike Tindall and Jamie Noon didn't have a clue how to fix and draw a man.

Without the basic skills, they couldn't exploit the space and everyone in Twickenham knew the try they craved wouldn't come as long as the forwards relinquished possession to the backs.

Yet the worst example of England's inability to think on their feet came when they were awarded a penalty five metres from the All Black line with 25 minutes left.

The All Blacks only had seven forwards and England chose to kick the ball to touch for the lineout. If England captain Martin Corry had been thinking, rather than operating in autopilot, he would surely have opted for the scrum.

Maybe the English will develop their instincts by 2007. Henry was certainly full of praise for their efforts at Twickenham and believes they are building something special.


"They showed a fair amount of attacking ability and defended well. They obviously wanted to do the job and there was a huge amount of desire and focus which maybe hasn't been there since the World Cup. I think it has been turned around a bit."


It has, but England - like Ireland, Wales and Scotland - are some way behind the All Blacks in speed of thought and basic skills.


There is no question that All Black rugby has made giant steps in the last four weeks. They are the team the rest of the world is chasing. They have strength in depth and a fluid game plan that players take responsibility for.


The mission for Henry and his assistants is to ensure the team continues to advance in the next two years. Peaking between World Cups has been a perennial All Black failing and a theme that has surfaced on this tour.


"Yes, we are worried about peaking and our plan is to lose a few games just to make sure we don't peak between now and the next World Cup," was Henry's put-down to the English scribe who asked if the All Blacks had indeed hit their straps too early.


The acerbic nature of Henry's reply should be seen as the determination and focus that exists within the management to ensure that this All Black side gets to France with every chance of winning. 

- HERALD ON SUNDAY