The All Blacks will know in their heart of hearts that they are probably not the best team in the world. HARRIS CHOY reviews New Zealand's test performance.
The All Blacks failed to win the Tri-Nations or the Bledisloe Cup, but astonishingly ended the year as world No 1 in the Zurich world rankings.
New Zealand shot to the top by beating Ireland, who downed England a few weeks earlier.
Australia, the World Cup, Bledisloe Cup and Tri-Nations champions, lost to the English.
While the ratings may have highlighted a flawed system to arrange the pecking order, there were indications that teams such as England and France, who beat the Wallabies and Springboks at home, had slipped ahead of the Southern Hemisphere giants by the close of the year.
France, who shared the two-test series with the All Blacks in the previous season, lost in Wellington this year. But they overcame the Wallabies and the Springboks last month and are perhaps the rightful owners of the top spot.
The All Blacks can savour the generous elevation to No 1 from the independent ranking outfit. But deep down they should know their performances on the tour of Ireland, Scotland and Argentina, though undefeated, were not good enough to overcome such teams as England and France.
Weren't the Wallabies good enough to beat France and England without John Eales? Or did France and England play above the level of the Tri-Nations tests this year?
The intrigue besets the big three Southern Hemisphere sides as they head into a foundation-laying year for the next World Cup with yet another arduous season of non-stop rugby from mid-February to December. Take in the Super 12 preparations and the year starts in early January.
The All Blacks went into the summer break far more content than the Wallabies, even though the Australians were the only team to beat New Zealand (twice) this year.
Coach John Mitchell's big test will come in the Tri-Nations next season, although matches against England and France during the end-of-the-year tour will provide a better insight into his coaching ability.
Mitchell wants to scrap that trip to the Northern Hemisphere or, alternatively, take a development team instead of a test side to help to broaden his base for the 2003 World Cup.
It would also provide a meaningful break for the All Blacks leading into cup year. But his wishes aren't likely to be met.
The biggest mystery of the rugby year remains - how Wayne Smith, the All Blacks coach for two seasons, shot himself in the foot and allowed Mitchell to take over.
Smith, who only had to provide a logical explanation of the season to a review committee to keep his position for the World Cup, told them he wasn't sure whether he was the right man to continue until the cup and suggested applications be called.
While the All Blacks were beaten by just one team this year, by Australia in the Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup tests in Dunedin and Sydney, it was enough to deny them the trophies and the confidence of their fans they had desperately sought.
After they downed South Africa home and away and lost to the Wallabies in Dunedin, where it was unimaginable they would concede an unbeaten record to the Australians, the Tri-Nations title was decided in Sydney.
No one doubted after 79 minutes that it was the All Blacks' turn to lift the trophy at the Homebush Stadium.
But a stirring finish by the Wallabies, with captain John Eales calling for a lineout, saw Toutai Kefu score the winner to break New Zealand hearts, as Eales had done with a late penalty goal in the previous year at Wellington. It was a perfect farewell for Eales and Rod Macqueen (coach) as both retired - with a series win over the Lions, and the Bledisloe Cup and Tri-Nations title safely locked away.
"We were a minute away from a successful season," Smith lamented after Australia's 29-26 win in Sydney.
Mitchell got away with some stunning selections, but whichever New Zealand team he took was expected to return from Ireland, Scotland and Argentina unbeaten.
Mitchell reinforced his selection policy by bringing on untried players such as Ben Blair and Dave Hewett against Argentina.
Blair, replacing the injured Leon MacDonald, had a mixed game, but carved up the determined Pumas' defence in the last few minutes to set up the winner for his Crusaders' team-mate Scott Robertson.
Neither Blair nor Hewett had managed to hold down a regular spot in the Canterbury NPC team and Robertson was a remarkable story in himself.
After missing the cut in Smith's team this year, Robertson, nicknamed "Razor," switched from openside flanker to No 8 in the NPC and fought his way back into the test side to finish the year as the All Blacks No 8.
Mitchell, though starting as coach at an awkward time in the season, showed a willingness to select on merits and disregard reputation.
He was criticised for not telling players from Smith's squad - including Christian Cullen, Taine Randell and Jeff Wilson - they been dropped.
Had he checked the availability of his own selection, he would have avoided the humiliating "backfire" from Brad Thorn, who withdrew from the All Blacks after the squad was announced.
Cullen, New Zealand's most exciting player, missed the international season with a knee injury and surgery.
He came back for the NPC, which unearthed another star - Richard McCaw, a member of New Zealand's champion under-21 team.
McCaw stepped up into the All Blacks and showed all the signs that a No 7 like Josh Kronfeld won't be missed next season.
Wellington loose forward Jerry Collins made his test debut against Argentina in Christchurch and the following week made more headlines when he didn't play.
He was involved in a late-night altercation with a member of the public after the test against France in Wellington and later apologised for his action.
The New Zealand Rugby Football Union "buried" a similar incident involving Tana Umaga after the tour of France and Italy at the end of last year.
Former Auckland coach Graham Henry led the Lions through a magnificent test series, which they lost 2-1 in Australia after winning the first match.
Brendan Laney's immediate promotion from the Otago NPC team to the Scottish test side via their A team created enormous interest in Scotland's clash with New Zealand.
Off the field, transtasman relations cooled when Australia accused New Zealand sources of leaking World Cup information and tried to buy off cup fixtures, including a semifinal, from the NZRFU for $A5 million ($6 million).
The NZRFU was unmoved by the cup offer, and the release of the cup draw has been held over to the New Year.
New Zealand, despite Eric Rush's broken leg, won the world sevens in Argentina under the leadership of Karl Te Nana and coach Gordon Tietjens.
- NZPA
Rugby rankings provide skewed picture of reality
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