KEY POINTS:
When change is stifled, people feel frustrated and unfulfilled. When the need for that change is written large, their response is inclined to take a bitter turn. Of such are revolutions born. Right now, an acrid strain is afflicting New Zealand rugby as it eyes the first test of the All Black season. Herald columnist Chris Rattue enunciated this when he wrote of being unable to cheer for a team coached by Graham Henry. Others have taken it further, saying they would support the All Blacks' opponents, starting with Ireland tonight.
Such people feel they were entitled to change because of the All Blacks' shock quarter-final defeat at last year's World Cup, an event on which Henry had said he should be judged. To them, it seemed a formality that Robbie Deans, having fashioned an outstanding record with the Crusaders, would take charge. But this was denied when the New Zealand Rugby Union reappointed Henry and his assistants, Wayne Smith and Steve Hansen.
In retrospect, it is clear the union underestimated the depth of feeling against the coach and the potential divisiveness of his reappointment. It also probably did not count on Deans winning yet another Super 14 title with the Crusaders. That created the doleful scenario of the Cantabrian, his credentials freshly burnished, setting off to coach arch-rival Australia as the international season dawned. The opportunity for bitterness was almost complete.
Normally, of course, the onset of the test programme is a time of excitement and anticipation. There is the chance to bury past disappointments and disagreements. Followers are keen to see how the new blood in the All Blacks will perform. Henry, Hansen and Smith did not let them down in that respect.
Six new faces were included in the squad for the test against Ireland; only six of those who played against France in the World Cup quarter-final will start in Wellington.
Yet the build-up to the match has been curiously muted. Nothing much seems to have changed. Henry and his assistants have used the same sort of language and given the same sort of responses when interviewed.
An opportunity for a fresh start has gone begging.
Antipathy towards an All Black coach is not new, of course. In Canterbury, Aucklander John Hart was loathed.
Most memorably, punters spat at one of his racehorses at Addington after a failed World Cup campaign. Many Aucklanders, for their part, had little time for the stolid approach of Cantabrian Alex Wyllie. Perhaps never, however, has there been so much talk of supporting opponents of the All Blacks solely because of a dislike of a coach.
To a degree, this has probably been fuelled by talkback radio and blogs, which have given the disillusioned new palletes on which to spread their antipathy. That gives their views more life and longevity than would normally be the case. It also creates a false impression. Even those with misgivings are, in the main, inclined to look past the coach and support the All Blacks players. In time, they will also begin to feel comfortable with Henry's reappointment. That is the normal course of events and that, also, reflects the importance of the All Blacks in the national psyche.
To most, supporting any other team is inconceivable. The All Blacks' stocks are too high for that.
There is one caveat to this. That is the reaction if the All Blacks fail to win, starting with Ireland, which had an even more wretched World Cup than New Zealand and which has never beaten this country. Repeated defeats would further escalate the demand for change.
The pressure on the rugby union would multiply. Only an All Black team winning and winning well will propel Henry into a zone where he can again feel comfortable.
