No more sir, says Oliver

When Anton Oliver signed his first professional contract in 1996 he never thought the game would be hijacked by spin doctors. He couldn't imagine that the main theatre of combat would be the after-match press room.

For a man whose ambition in life is to simply be remembered as a good Southern bloke, he has watched the 2005 Lions - aghast at their off-field ducking and diving.

He's confused as to how Sir Clive Woodward has managed to gain so much media mileage with what he believes is a crass attempt to divert the focus away from his own side's obvious failings.

As a former captain, Oliver appears to have been appointed into a pseudo-management capacity where he has been licensed to speak on behalf of the squad.

"We are quite disappointed with the amount of traction this rather juvenile and transparent attempt to destabilise our team and our campaign has gained. We're astonished there's an issue. I'm disappointed by some New Zealand media outlets that are providing traction for it. New Zealand journalists should recognise the key personalities behind it and what the motives are and just not publish any of it.

"I'm not interested in rugby outside of playing it. I'm stuck in my own little cocoon. Essentially everything rushes past me but the coaches and people in the team keep me up to speed about what is being said and written about our players. That is all I need to know. It is kind of ridiculous that all the fuss was still carrying on.

"After a while you just think 'what is going on here?' I understand he [Woodward] called a press conference at midnight after the first test. I think that is a rather transparent attempt at moving pressure away from his team. Instead of facing up to a 21-3 loss and what they can do to fix it, they were moving that pressure away."

Naive is probably the last word you would use in conjunction with Oliver. He fully understands that the modern game places increased physical and peripheral demands on players. He accepts that. What he is struggling with is the full force of the Lions entourage.

He still carries a torch for a more romantic time when rugby teams were seen and rarely heard.

"This whole tour has been very interesting," he said. "There has been a departure from our romantic visions of rugby. It is a clear assault. There is nothing clandestine about it. The level of espionage has been really up. "Hopefully it will just be a blip and we can be a bunch of overgrown adolescents throwing a ball around, because it can't stay at this level. It's keystone cops after a while."

Thankfully the Lions' shenanigans have not sapped his enthusiasm to play again. Last year Oliver was through with rugby. He applied to study History of Art at Cambridge and was due to submit a couple of essays after the NPC.

But he pulled off what he calls his greatest triumph - holding himself together both physically and mentally through Otago's nadir season.

It earned him an All Black recall for the end-of-season tour and rekindled his appetite to play.

Once he recovers from his current calf injury, he hopes to sign a contract with the New Zealand Rugby Union that will take him through to the next World Cup.

"The passion is snowballing with what is in this All Black team. It's incredibly exciting to be part of it and the coaches are telling me they want me to be part of it. I'm getting valued for my playing and leadership and these are two things I was criticised for a couple of years ago.

"If I stay on I'll be thinking World Cup. I've got a contract and I'm talking to the NZRU. We are pretty close to a resolution. It's just a matter of agreeing on stuff. I'm better when I have a goal to aim for."

And the game is all the better for Oliver in it.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY