I was up very early on Wednesday morning to play in a Bledisloe Cup golf game between a motley bunch of All Black and Wallaby has-beens. (Incidentally, there is among the locals who won that battle a feeling that a degree of irrelevance has now been attached to the result of tomorrow night's Suncorp Stadium clash, although we accept others may feel differently).

When I hopped into the car at sparrows to travel to the course, I turned on the radio, and the first thing I heard was a very loud and opinionated announcer pronouncing that "the All Blacks are the greatest chokers in world rugby".

I immediately wondered two things. First, how can these early morning radio people sound so "up and at 'em at 6am", and second, how could this bloke, who is neither a sports announcer nor a rugby fan, really feel qualified to comment on the All Blacks?

I have no answer to the first question, and to the second, I suppose the fact is that everyone is entitled to an opinion.

I did shudder when I heard him say it with such certainty, and offered a quick Hail Mary that no 2006 vintage All Black was awake early in their Hilton Hotel bunker and listening to middle-aged radio.

I feel reasonably safe on both counts that the prayer would have been answered.

So, back to our golden-tonsilled garrotter. Is there any foundation to his pronouncement or was he just trying to stir the pot in the pre-match media circus?

Let me say for starters I detest the word "choker", perhaps because I know a thing or two about choking.

In 1984, at the Sydney Cricket Ground, the Wallabies won the first test of a three-match Bledisloe Cup series 16-9 and 20 minutes into the second test at Ballymore enjoyed a 12-nil lead, which in those days was a far more substantial margin than today. To cut a depressing story short, the All Blacks went on to win 19-15 and took the decider 25-24 at the Sydney Cricket Ground a week later.

One of the members of the Wallaby pack that sorry day in Brisbane told me some time later that despite the fact there was still an hour to go in the game, when we reached that 12-nil lead he was picturing himself doing a lap of honour around Ballymore after the game, with the Bledisloe Cup raised above his head.

I admired the courage of his admission, and we then debated whether such thoughts came under the heading of stupidity, inexperience or choking. Whatever answer we came up with, there was a firm belief among Australian players of the era that if you beat the All Blacks you did so because you earned the victory.