Zizi Sparks: Why the All Blacks losing the Rugby World Cup won't be so bad

COMMENT

If New Zealand loses this Rugby World Cup, there'll be referees to blame and the world won't let us forget it, but Kiwis should move on and remember the wins.

The All Blacks came back from a 2007 quarter-final loss to bring home the cup from consecutive tournaments in 2011 and 2015. The first and only team to do so.

The team holds the record for the most consecutive test match wins for a tier-one ranked nation.

But if what's considered unthinkable by many were to happen, the team would just be a disappointment to many people.

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But that shouldn't be the case.

New Zealanders should be proud of the athletes the nation produces. This little country punches well above its weight on the sporting world stage.

This year alone we sent 13 athletes to the International Association of Athletics Federations World Championships where shotputter Tom Walsh brought home the bronze medal after the tightest shot put competition in history.

Just 1cm separated the podium finishers.

We sent athletes to the Cricket World Cup and they brought home silver. A touchy subject, but impressive.

The Bay of Plenty has produced Sam Cane, the Shelford brothers, Kane Williamson and Trent Boult.

And the future is just as bright.

You need only look at the Rotorua Daily Post and Bay of Plenty Times sports pages to see.

The Steamers' Baden Wardlaw is bound for Blues Super Rugby, Rotorua teenage Crossfitter Hiko o Te Rangi Curtis was among the best of his age worldwide and attended the Crossfit Games and we have our share of Olympic and Commonwealth Game hopefuls and alumni.

Lisa Carrington has won seven successive gold medals in the K1 200m, most recently at the Canoe Sprint World Championships in Szeged, Hungary. Sam Osborne and Samantha Kingsford recently won the Xterra Pan Am Tour men's and women's titles and are now training for world champs while Olympic silver medalist Luuka Jones won her first canoe slalom world championship medal (bronze).

So next Saturday, when the All Blacks enter the quarter-finals (courtesy of Typhoon Hagibis), scream, shout, sing the national anthem and be proud.

And if the result isn't what we wanted, don't dwell on that.

Let's remember the wins, the winning streaks, and all the Kiwi athletes doing great things on the world stage.