Editorial: All-black uniform puts its rivals in the shade

New Zealand All Blacks captain Richie McCaw. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Editorial

We have always wondered whether the very words All Blacks put terror into the hearts of other rugby nations. Now we know. The fact that the words were not to be spoken in the Wallabies' London camp this week spoke volumes.

It would have reinforced the power of the black jersey for the selected 23 who will take theirs from its wrapping tomorrow and put it on. Those who have worn it say you grow in it. They certainly look twice as tall when they stand in all black.

We now know they will look as tall to the Wallabies too when the teams meet in the tunnel. Their all-black outfit looks superb when they take the field in a stadium such as Twickenham.

It is a pity they are supposed to walk on to the ground at the World Cup. When they run from the tunnel on to the green sward they look like a sudden black tide, breathtaking for those present, less so on television.

The sportswear designers have made this year's All Blacks blacker than ever. Even the socks have lost white stripes. So pity the Wallabies in their denial. All week they have been strenuously thinking they are playing "New Zealand", not the All Blacks, and tomorrow they find out those names are the same.

It's not a name, it's a frame of mind for those selected to put on a black jersey with a silver fern. It is bigger than even the best of them. It demands they do not let it down. It wins.