KEY POINTS:
Not long after he ascended to the All Black coaching throne, Graham Henry spoke about the shift in his philosophy from focusing entirely on results as he had been with the Lions, to the idea of nurturing players.
Later on when he, Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith had
their contracts rolled past the World Cup, he spoke about the folly of going down the same World Cup track New Zealand had for the past 20 years.
The All Blacks had to change tack, they had to develop depth in the squad, appreciate players' welfare, condition and foster them through this season.
Meanwhile, the NZRU was banging on about their priority, nay obsession, that the only thing that mattered in 2007 was the capture of the Webb Ellis Trophy.
They gave Henry and Co their head, they allowed the World Cup fixation to have an adverse influence on the rest of the New Zealand rugby scene - the Super 14, club and national championships.
There was enough grumbling, in public and private, from broadcasters News Ltd, players, sponsors and professional coaches to understand the mania was obtrusively unpopular.
Henry's original intention was to pull the Cotton Wool Club out of the entire Super 14, an objective which almost occurred because some were injured on conditioning duties or were not up to the rigours of matchplay or the nuances of franchise game plans when they were available.
Trust us, said Henry, all the angst would disappear because the All Blacks would peak at the World Cup playoffs. That summit was not enough to get past an average French side, one which did not compare with the group who stunned the All Blacks in the semifinal of the 1999 World Cup. The All Blacks made their earliest exit in the history of the World Cup, beaten 20-18, with promises of an independent review of the campaign.
Conditioning
Strong idea, though it came at a price of disrupting the Super 14. If there was enough data to support the claim that players were fatigued after repeat seasons, then refresher fitness courses were sensible. But for Henry to then complain about the lack of matches given to players like Joe Rokocoko, when he wanted to withdraw them from the whole series and then gave them two months' down time before the World Cup, was a bit rich.
Rest and rotation
Was an ongoing theme perhaps as a result of his philosophical catharsis after the 2001 Lions tour. Left enough players soured, although most toed the public line of "what's good for the team is fine by me" when all they wanted to do was play.
The All Black jersey was no longer sacrosanct. At times caps were "given" away in the search for depth. Craig Newby, Stephen Bates, Saimone Taumoepeau, Sosene Anesi, Kevin Senio, Campbell Johnstone, David Hill and Scott Hamilton were beneficiaries either of rotation, reward for long service or, as some might suggest even more cynically, to prevent them playing for other nations.
After the Tri-Nations, the All Blacks had two training camps including several pick-up games against sub-standard opposition in two months to prepare them for their trip to the World Cup. Some fringe players had national championship matches but the lack of match play and the adherence to rotation during the tournament in a very weak pool left the All Blacks shy of match preparation and combinations. It showed in their mistake rate which continued through the tournament.
Coaching
The All Blacks played some superb rugby for 42 wins in 48 tests in Henry's tenure but failed at the first of three possible high hurdles at the World Cup. They held a 13-0 lead and, with 72 per cent possession, blew it. The sinbinning of Luke McAlister and forward pass in the French try were problems, but the French also lost out in a mediocre display from Wayne Barnes and his touch judges who missed All Black errors and fouls which would have left France in strong attacking positions.
The All Blacks built their plans on continuity and attack yet, in the heat of sudden death after a try to Rodney So'oialo, they lost that conviction and were seduced by pick 'n' go forays. Messages are delivered regularly throughout tests. Either they were ignored or the coaching staff endorsed the change of tactic.
Public relations
Until Doug Howlett's car reconditioning exercise at the Hilton at Heathrow, the squad did much to endear themselves to the French public and their supporters.
Players were accessible and responsive and the side did much to repair some of the ugly images left by their predecessors.
Future
New Zealand will continue to disembowel itself about the failure and over-analyse the early exit because of the expectations which the rugby union perpetuated. The consequences for the sport and the NZRU will be absorbing because the country hosts the next World Cup.
It was a highly important game for the players, their corporate backers, NZRU, the public and those with a passion for sport, but it was only a game. It was not a tragedy or a catastrophe, those descriptions apply to events involving loss of life.
It was a heartbreak for those closely connected, another difficult sporting day for New Zealand and the NZRU needs to quickly deliver a verdict, new voices, new people and a fresh approach. They have an obligation to let the rest of the nation's rugby flourish after a ruinous season, dictated by their World Cup obsession.
