The All Blacks have a phenomenal success rate but there are some places – like Sydney – where they haven't been able to get it together in the professional era. Gregor Paul has analysed the national side's Tri Nations record to determine which venues could be considered bogey grounds.
1. Ellis Park Johannesburg
For older Kiwis, the name Ellis Park makes the heart sink. Winning in South Africa has always been hard enough. To win in Johannesburg – those moments are rare. The professional age has shown no let-up in that pattern. In 13 years of professional rugby, the All Blacks have managed just one victory at Ellis Park and even that had to be clawed and scrapped for. That makes Ellis Park the top All Black bogey ground in the Tri Nations. The All Blacks didn't lose a test in 1997 but the Tri Nations clash at Ellis Park was as close as they came. They escaped only thanks to the brilliance of Frank Bunce. In the four tests the All Blacks have played there in the professional age, they have conceded 150 points – almost 38 per game – killing the myth that a fast track with a dry ball suits the All Blacks more than the Springboks. The biggest mystery with this ground is not why the All Blacks have struggled – it's at altitude, the city doesn't offer the best experience and history weighs against visitors – but why the South Africans haven't played more tests there. The last visit to Ellis Park for the All Blacks was in 2004.
Tri Nations Record at Ellis Park: Played 3; Lost 2; Won 1 – 33 per cent.
Overall Record at Ellis Park (including RWC games): Played 4; Lost 3; Won 1 – 25 per cent.
Worst Moment: The 40-26 Tri Nations loss in 2004 which was so bad it forced the current coaching panel to radically overhaul everything the All Blacks were doing.
Best Moment: The 35-32 Tri Nations defeat of the Springboks in 1997.
2. Melbourne Cricket Ground
Beautiful city, beautiful ground but ugly results – that's the All Black story in Melbourne. This is a ground they will not want to rush back to. The anonymity they enjoy in Melbourne doesn't suit the All Blacks. They prefer the buzz of Brisbane, a rugby city. There is also a case to be made that the All Blacks deliver their best performances at historic and genuine rugby grounds.
Tri Nations Record at the MCG: Played 3; Lost 2; Won 1 – 33 per cent.
Worst Moment: The 24-16 loss there in 1998 – the one game in the run of five straight defeats where the All Blacks were poor rather than unlucky.
Best Moment: The 33-18 victory in 1997.
3. ANZ Stadium Sydney
The All Blacks have never been comfortable in this stadium. In their first visit in 1999, they suffered a record 28-7 defeat. Maybe it's the fact it is a soulless place, sitting in the middle of nowhere, that puts the All Blacks off their game when they play there. There is certainly something about this stadium, built for the 2000 Olympics, that unsettles them. Last year, they were dreadful in Sydney, falling to a 34-19 hammering, and have produced two other dire efforts there – in the 2003 World Cup semifinal and 2004 Tri Nations. They were also in danger of losing to Wales in Sydney at the 2003 World Cup until a second-half comeback. Yet there have been two really bright performances at the same ground. In 2000, the All Blacks won what many believe to be the greatest game ever played when Jonah Lomu scored late in the piece to give the All Blacks a 39-35 victory. There was also the 51-23 Tri Nations crushing of the Wallabies in 2003 – just a few months before the World Cup.
Tri Nations Record at ANZ: Played 8; Lost 5; Won 3 – 37.5 per cent.
Overall Record at ANZ: Played 11; Lost 6; Won 5 – 45 per cent.
Worst Moment: 28-7 Tri Nations loss to the Wallabies in 1999.
Best Moment: 39-35 Tri Nations defeat of Wallabies in 2000.
4. Kings Park Durban
When the All Blacks bumbled their way to defeat there earlier this month, they broke an established pattern and also a pretty good record. Games at Kings Park between the All Blacks and Springboks have been tight. The margin of victory in the previous four tests had never exceeded seven points – and the All Blacks had won three of those. In fact, when you recall that South Africa were able to win the 1998 Tri Nations test in Durban with a James Dalton try that never was, the All Blacks have done well in Durban. It is an intimidating theatre but clearly that brings out the best in the All Blacks – that and the beach culture of the city.
Tri Nations Record at Kings Park: Played 5; Lost 2; Won 3 – 60 per cent.
Worst Moment: The recent 31-19 loss to the Springboks. Enough said.
Best Moment: The 26-21 Tri Nations defeat of the Springboks in 2007 was brave and committed.
5. Newlands Cape Town
Cape Town has been a happy hunting ground for the professional All Blacks. The late amateur All Blacks also had some success in the city – producing one of their most destructive performances in defeating England in the 1995 World Cup semifinal. Newlands is at sea level and that may be one of the key factors why the All Blacks have done well there. There is no mental barrier to overcome with altitude and Cape Town is an easier city in which to relax.
Tri Nations Record at Newlands: Played 4; Lost 1; Won 3 – 75 per cent.
Worst Moment: The 22-16 loss in 2005 where the All Blacks were rattled by the Boks' rush defence.
Best moment: The 19-0 victory in 2008 when Richie McCaw was imperious and the Boks were held scoreless at home for the first time in their history.
6. Loftus Versfeld Pretoria
New Zealand Super Rugby teams have had a terrible time in Pretoria. The Blue Bulls on their home patch have been virtually impossible to beat. This is an intimidating ground on the high veld. Afrikaans is mainly spoken and the crowd make their presence felt. Given the set-up and the difficulties Super Rugby teams have had in Pretoria, it would be no surprise if Loftus was also a bogey ground for the All Blacks. It's anything but. They are undefeated there in the professional age and have scored 164 Tri Nations points there – an average of 41 per test. While the hard ground and thinner air doesn't suit in Johannesburg, it somehow brings the best out of the All Blacks in Pretoria.
Tri Nations Record at Loftus Versfeld: Played 4; Won 4 – 100 per cent.
Worst Moment: Isaia Toeava dropping the ball when he was in the clear in 2006.
Best Moment: The 52-16 thrashing of the Boks in 2003.
7. Suncorp Stadium Brisbane
Brisbane is a good place for the All Blacks. It's warm and the place is full of Kiwis. That seems to help. It should also help the Wallabies, too, as we all know they love the sun on their backs, a dry ball and have glorious backs who can do clever things. Not that clever, though. In three Tri Nations tests at Suncorp, the Wallabies are yet to beat the All Blacks. They have come close all three times but no cigar. This is a ground that produces full-on epics – proper tests where the forwards go at it and the backs cut loose when they can and boot the skin off the ball the rest of the time. It might be the level of support they have in the stadium but there is something about Suncorp that enables the All Blacks to find the reserves they need.
Tri Nations Record at Suncorp: Played 3; Won 3 – 100 per cent.
Overall Record at Suncorp: Played 4; Won 4 – 100 per cent.
Worst Moment: Believing in 1996 that the All Blacks were going to draw when they reached the last five minutes locked at 25-25.
Best Moment: The stroke of genius from Andrew Mehrtens that unlocked the Wallabies in the last minute that paved the way for a Frank Bunce try.
* One-off Tri Nations tests have also been played in Bloemfontein and Rustenburg – both of which the All Blacks have lost.
The All Blacks have a phenomenal success rate but there are some places – like Sydney – where they haven't been able to get it together in the professional era. Gregor Paul has analysed the national side's Tri Nations record to determine which venues could be considered bogey grounds.
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