Tri-Nations quality leaves Six Nations for dead, says Henry

The Tri-Nations may lack the history and atmosphere of the Six Nations rugby championship but when it comes to quality, there couldn't be a greater gulf says All Blacks coach Graham Henry.

In his time as Welsh national coach, Henry came to admire the enormous passion that enveloped the teams and supporters involved in the Six Nations, a tournament that was more than a century old.

However, the All Blacks' 3-0 humbling of the Lions followed by a loss to South Africa in Cape Town had convinced him of where the leading teams of the world game now lay.

"As a rugby spectacle, it (Tri-Nations) is the height, right now, of international rugby," he said, looking ahead to Saturday's likely tournament decider against the Springboks here.

"The teams that are playing are the best in the world. If you asked the players to compare South Africa and Australia with the recent Lions, there'll be no comparison."

The Six Nations' strength was the tradition that accompanied long-held rivalries and the massive occasions borne from up to 20,000 supporters travelling to attend away matches.

"The Tri-Nations is quite a young tournament, the countries are a long way apart so you don't get that same interaction of the fans. And it hasn't got that tradition of 100 years behind it," Henry said.

Asked for another comparison, between winning the Tri-Nations or the Bledisloe Cup, Henry said it was a generational preference.

He believed young New Zealanders may regard the Bledisloe Cup as the superior prize because of the quality of twice-world champions Australia over the last 15 years.

However, Henry grew up regarding South Africa as the arch enemies so placed greater value on the Tri-Nations. His first rugby memory was attending the third test against the 1956 Springboks in Christchurch, won 17-10 by New Zealand.

"That tradition and rivalry between the All Blacks and the Boks is huge, in my mind," Henry said.

"For example, when I was in Wales, the most pleasing game we ever played was to beat the Boks at Millennium Stadium. That was the first time Wales had done that, it meant a lot to me personally."

- NZPA