All Blacks set for another record
Fri, 28 Nov 2008 09:03
Should the defence of their tryline hold, the All Blacks would become the first team to achieve a Grand Slam without conceding a try.
Since halftime at Hong Kong Stadium - venue of the one-off Bledisloe Cup test on November 1 - the All Blacks have also held their opposition scoreless in the second spell of all five tour games.
The All Blacks have scored nine tries in three tests against Scotland, Ireland and Wales, a relatively low output compared to previous northern hemisphere tours.
However, backs coach Wayne Smith shrugged off the diminishing of his side's attacking prowess while pointing to the scoreboards.
"With the ELVS [experimental law variations] and with defence coaches in the game, it's going to get harder and harder," he told the NZPA.
"Not too many teams are going to let us run rampant in the backs unless it's an Australia or a South Africa who also try to have a crack.
"Over here it's a battle every game. It might look like we're doing it easy, or in third gear, but we're not.
"I've had mates say 'You did that pretty easy'. We've had to fight for everything."
Smith cited the midweek match against a weakened Munster, a rousing occasion to mark their victory over the 1978 All Blacks. A late try from Joe Rokocoko was needed to salvage an 18-16 win.
"You've seen teams here just about die for the cause. I don't think I've ever seen a team beaten up after a game like Munster."
However, serious doubts remain about the ability of England - reeling from a defeat to Australia and a record 6-42 loss to South Africa last weekend - to display the same fortitude against the most experienced pack (363 test caps) ever assembled by the All Blacks.
England's performance since a misleading defeat of the Pacific Islanders on November 8 suggest the All Blacks should not be taxed.
World Cup runners-up in France last year, England have been tracking downwards ever since and threaten to drag the legacy of Martin Johnson, a legendary captain turned new manager, with them.
The All Blacks have a third Grand Slam within reach; original ownership of the Hillary Shield is at stake and, from a coaching perspective, a 13th victory in 2008 surely represents a degree of reconciliation between Graham Henry and a public disillusioned by his reappointment after the 2007 World Cup.
