Rugby: Six-year gap could intensify challenge

What about a six-year gap between Rugby World Cups to allow the game to take on a deeper context rather than repeat preparation for the next tournament?

It's an idea Sir Brian Lochore has been pushing since the idea of a global tournament was encouraged about 30 years ago.

"Six years break. A good player would get an opportunity to play in a World Cup and we would also have some meaningful internationals in between," he said at a Legends in Black dinner at Eden Park.

It seemed as though teams got out of one World Cup now and then almost began to focus on the next. If there was a bigger gap there was more opportunity to vary your diet of opponents.

Lochore guided the All Blacks to their 1987 World Cup triumph which helped pull the sport back from indifferent support into mainstream acceptance once more.

When the All Blacks won the Webb Ellis Cup again in 2011 it was much harder because of their injury problems - and the opposition were much better prepared.

"The All Blacks suffered some really key injuries (in 2011) but the spirit and the way they conducted themselves and the determination was brilliant, and although we all thought they might do it easily in the final it wasn't that bloody easy was it?" he said.

"The last five minutes I thought were superb, the players knew what they had to do to win that test."

Lochore said it's a very awkward time for the All Black coaches and selectors now with three tests until they have to trim their squad to 31 players.

"That is not enough to actually make absolutely certain they have got the best 31 going to the World Cup.

"I'm sure they will get the best 31, but they need to try a few of these guys because it is a difference playing at Super 15 level and international level and I just hope they step up. I think they will.

Another speaker, Stephen Donald, spoke about the two kicks which have defined his All Blacks career - one which missed touch in Hong Kong and the winning penalty from the 2011 World Cup.

"At the time I didn't think I was kicking to save my life but obviously I did at the end and it's probably been over-pumped to be fair but obviously a moment in my life I am pretty proud of," he said.

In Hong Kong in 2010, Donald said he "obviously cocked up" and then had to shut himself off from the media and public noise about his gaffe.

"The boot was going in fairly heavy," he said. During the 2011 build-up, Henry told him he was an unlikely part of the World Cup group.