All Blacks (from left) Kieran Read, Brad Thorn, Neemia Tialata and Piri Weepu after the Grand Slam win over England in 2008. Photo / Photosport
Everything you need to know about the All Blacks latest quest to complete the Grand Slam.
So, what is a Grand Slam?
There is no official term for a rugby Grand Slam, but it’s generally considered to be victories over England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales in the same tour.
Doesn’t a Grand Slam have to be wins on their home soil? Aren’t the All Blacks playing Ireland in Chicago?
Good question. Yes, the tour begins on American soil and rugby purists would probably point out that a Grand Slam should be victories at each home venue of the four nations. That’s what makes it such an impressive achievement. But this Grand Slam* also features a Wales team ranked just two spots above Spain in the World Rugby rankings, so maybe it should already have an asterisk. The All Blacks have also never beaten Ireland in Chicago, while they won in Dublin as recently as last year, so one could argue it’s even rarer.
Have the All Blacks won the Grand Slam before?
They have successfully won the Grand Slam four times. The first was in 1978 after five failed attempts. The most famous near miss was by the Originals in 1905-06 when they beat England, Ireland and Scotland but lost to Wales 3-0 when Bob Deans was denied a late try.
Since the 1978 success, the All Blacks have followed that up with Grand Slams in 2005, 2008 and 2010.
The All Blacks also beat all four Grand Slam nations at the 1995 Rugby World Cup with pool play victories over Ireland and Wales before knocking Scotland out at the quarter-final stage and then England in the semifinals. Although it’s not regarded as a Grand Slam.
How easy are Grand Slams to win?
Excuse me?
Let me rephrase. How often are Grand Slams achieved?
I was about to say. They’re certainly not easy. Australia have tried and failed their in past four attempts and haven’t won a Grand Slam since 1984.
Yeah, but that’s Australia ...
Let me finish. The Springboks, the four-time World Cup champions, haven’t completed the Grand Slam since 1960-61. They last tried in 2010 but failed at the third hurdle when they lost to Scotland. Come on Rassie, what are you afraid of?
Since 1984, there have been 10 Grand Slam attempts with three pulling it off – all being by the All Blacks. But between 1978 and 2005, New Zealand Rugby didn’t schedule a Grand Slam tour, which seems a bit odd.
Which is the All Blacks’ most impressive Grand Slam?
Another good question. Always fun to compare eras. The 2005 Grand Slam is up there mainly because that All Blacks team thrashed the Lions 3-0 at home earlier in the year before heading to the Northern Hemisphere and dealing to the four unions pretty handily, with only England giving them a decent challenge. The maiden Grand Slam in 1978 is up there, but there will always be question marks over the final penalty in the win over Wales.
But it’s between the 2008 and 2010 teams in terms of dominance.
The 2008 All Blacks didn’t concede a try across all four tests, won by an average of 23 points and started the first test against Scotland with Richie McCaw and Dan Carter on the bench.
Two years later, the All Blacks completed the Grand Slam with an average victory margin of 22 points, but it wasn’t until the final 10 minutes of the last test against Wales they were clear of falling at the last hurdle.
But not letting a team cross over your tryline for four straight games in the professional era is a pretty amazing feat - therefore 2008 is New Zealand’s grandest of Grand Slams.
Which is the All Blacks’ worst showing on a Grand Slam tour?
Without besmirching the names of many great men who would later die fighting for their country, the 1935-36 All Blacks side finished with a 2-2 record. They won the opening two tests against Scotland and Ireland before losing to Wales 13-12 at Arms Park, with Geoffrey Rees-Jones diving over with two minutes remaining to secure a famous win.
After a break for Christmas and New Year’s, the All Blacks finished the tour with a 13-0 defeat to England.
Has a team ever lost all four tests of a Grand Slam tour?
Woah, I’m not sure what you’re suggesting is going to happen over the next month but, yes, since you ask ... the Wallabies are the only side to achieve the Loser Slam with defeats in all four tests of their 1957-58 tour, including a fifth loss to France. They also went down to the Western Counties, North Western Counties and the Midland Counties but drew with the South West Counties.
What if a test is drawn?
A Grand Slam must be four wins. A draw is a good as a defeat, much like any All Blacks test. The 1963-64 All Blacks were denied a Grand Slam after what I imagine was a thrilling 0-0 draw with Scotland. The same again happened to the 1972-73 side, who also started with three wins, before being denied a Grand Slam with a 10-10 draw in Dublin.
Sunday, November 2, 9.10am – All Blacks v Ireland, Soldier Field, Chicago.
Sunday, November 9, 4.10am – All Blacks v Scotland, Murrayfield, Edinburgh.
Sunday, November 16, 4.10am - All Blacks v England, Twickenham, London.
Sunday, November 23, 4.10am – All Blacks v Wales, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.