Henry's bored games

Graham Henry

The usual suspects trip off Graham Henry's tongue when he's asked who poses the most threat to the All Blacks at next year's World Cup. France, England, Australia, South Africa ... boredom.

The last threat is not one most international coaches would list as having the capacity to derail a World Cup campaign.

But that's Henry for you - a never-ending capacity to surprise.

He's not being facetious, he's genuinely concerned that when his players are away from home for 53 days next year at the World Cup, they will be plagued by mental fatigue unless they actively fight it.

"The mental and emotional toll big test matches have on players is quite significant, just as significant as the physical. I think that is one of our biggest challenges.

"It is not so significant when we are at home because players have got other interests. They might be married, have family and obviously they have got things they do outside of rugby. Richie McCaw and Anton Oliver both fly, for example.

"People have got interests they have at home but they can't do overseas. We are away for 34 days at the end of year tour and 53 days at the World Cup with language problems on top of that. They are the challenges for the All Blacks over the next 12 months.

"It is something we have got to address as a group and as individuals. You don't often get opportunities to tour like you used to. When Brian Lochore was an All Black in the 1970s, they used to go away for a 20-match tour and they got used to touring.

"Because of the amateur days, there was a lot more social activity so it wasn't a be-all and end-all although I think All Black teams were always pretty professional. We have to get the best out of ourselves on long tours.

"The individuals have got to take some responsibility for that. They can't be entertained, they have got to entertain themselves. There has to be a balance but I think it is mainly individuals taking control of that balance."

Those concerns could also be construed as an admission of sorts that the All Blacks have the potential to be their own greatest enemy.

Since Henry took over in December 2003, New Zealand have won 28 of their 32 tests. They are comfortably ranked number one in the world and, if they play to their potential, they have the ability to return from France with the William Webb Ellis trophy.

Henry is sure that if the players hang around their hotel rooms in France entrenched in their own world of I-Pods and video games, they won't be able to play to that potential. The cycle of training and playing will suck the mental energy and enthusiasm right out of them.

He's also sure the current rugby calendar is doing a decent job at draining the players physically.

"They are playing far too much rugby for the nature of the game as it is these days," says Henry.

"Super 14 now is 15 games if you play in the final. We are playing 13 test matches this year, which I think is some sort of record. So that is 28 games and the players will play some Air New Zealand Cup. "In terms of an ideal number, it varies depending on what position you play. A Richie McCaw can probably play somewhere up to 20 games a year. It is running those games together that is demanding."

Henry being Henry, though, he has chosen not to succumb to the suicidal schedule put in place by the game's administrators. He has pursued his now world-famous rotation and reconditioning policies.

Neither strategy has won universal praise from the rugby public. The rotation element created the strange scenario of not knowing from week to week whether the All Blacks were going to field their top side.

Henry is not going to apologise for doing something he believes has not only created depth but also protected players and won tests. Nor is it a policy he imagines will follow him out of office. "We always had the objective of looking after the players and we always had the objective of building depth in case we had major injuries.

"Leon MacDonald's situation of having to play centre in the semifinal of the 2003 World Cup - we don't want a repeat of that.

"Leon had never played centre in his life and all of a sudden he was playing in the biggest game in four years for the All Blacks at centre. We don't want to go through that again. That is understandable and sensible.

"The biggest thing is making sure you look after the players. There are some horrendous statistics about the length of lifespan for the professional footballer. We have got to put player welfare right up there and look after the talented young people we have got. You just can't keep pushing them out there.

"You have got to keep them in the best nick possible. I am sure those people in charge of the All Blacks in the future will have that as one of their major priorities."

Whether the concept of a prolonged reconditioning window can be established in future years depends on factors outside the control of the All Black coach.

If the All Blacks can win the World Cup, the policy of taking 22 test players out of the early rounds of next year's Super 14 will no doubt be hailed a masterstroke.

But News Limited, the broadcast rights holder for Super 14, is not likely to ever allow such a scenario to be repeated. So as far as Henry sees it, any All Black coach wanting to follow his lead will be at the mercy of the International Rugby Board.

"They are trying to work into a global season and that will take pressure off players to some extent. That has always been an objective as far as I know of the New Zealand Rugby Union and the International Rugby Board.

"I know that Chris Moller [NZRU chief executive] was pretty positive about some of his discussions at the recent IRB meeting and the progress they are making in that direction. What is happening in Europe is they are realising they are going to have go down this path pretty quickly as they have a large number of players injured at one time.

"Next year is going to be different because the World Cup finishes in October so you are going to get a three-month window before the start of the Super 14 which is going to be a godsend. So the next two years are going to be looked after and hopefully in that two-year period, something will happen that will relieve the constant playing of the game."