Mitchell - We did all right, for alcoholics

Anton Oliver salutes the Carisbrook crowd after Otago's NPC victory over Canterbury. Marty Melville / Getty Images

Deposed All Black coach John Mitchell has refuted renewed claims he encouraged a booze culture during his stormy tenure.

The excess-drinking assertions resurfaced yesterday with Mitchell's original All Black captain, Anton Oliver, detailing his concerns in his new book.

Oliver led the side in Mitchell's first three tests in charge in 2001 - against Ireland, Scotland and Argentina - and felt the All Blacks reverted to an unhealthy drinking culture on that trip.

Team manager Andrew Martin tried to control the situation but had received little help from the coaching staff. Eventually he spoke publicly about his concern at the team's drinking habits.

Oliver concurs in his book, which is due in stores today. He felt some players were still affected from a lengthy drinking session in the lead-up to the shaky final-test win against Argentina.

"I thought, 'we are teaching them that this is what it is to be an All Black - to drink a lot of booze'," he writes in Anton Oliver - Inside, compiled with the help of Brian Turner.

When Oliver's disquiet became public yesterday, Mitchell offered another perspective from Perth, where he gathers his Western Force side today for the start of their pre-season training.

"For a group of alcoholics we did quite well, winning two Tri-Nations and a Bledisloe Cup," he said.

"These accusations have been thrown at us before. We had clear and controlled protocols for drinking and everyone knew those."

Mitchell pointed out that a serious injury the next year meant Oliver missed out on the All Blacks and he returned only briefly in 2003, giving him scant insight (five out of 28 tests) during Mitchell's control.

"It is clear we all have our own opinions and Anton is entitled to his. That viewpoint varies from others like Reuben Thorne and Justin Marshall which have been documented and on public record in recent weeks."

Oliver claims he was indoctrinated into the All Black booze culture after his test debut in 1997, missing a team meeting the next day because he was still out of order.

When a member of the public wrote to him complaining about his drunken behaviour after a test in 1999, Oliver vowed to change his ways.

But the hooker claims the All Blacks continued to abuse alcohol.

That theme is one of many expected to create discussion. Mitchell said yesterday he never found Oliver a difficult person to deal with and denied any personal conflict was behind Oliver's omission for the 2003 World Cup.

"I liked the way he went about things, I admired his honesty and straight-up attitude."

Mitchell said the squad was not having a great time when he took over as coach at short notice.

"There was not an enormous amount of enjoyment and I thought it was important to get a balance back into the players' lives.

"We agreed on protocols for drinking and decided to treat them like men."

Mitchell argued that the All Blacks' lacklustre 24-20 win against the Pumas had more to do with the long travel schedule from Edinburgh than any effects of drinking.

Oliver, who is making a strong bid to return to the All Blacks after an injury layoff, also details his version of the acrimony with Highlanders coach Laurie Mains in 2003. That standoff, as revealed by the Herald, led to all sorts of ructions in the southern rugby scene.

Mains said in a statement yesterday that Oliver had grossly misrepresented the facts surrounding the issue.