Lessons from World Cup's past make All Blacks wary

By DANIEL GILHOOLY

The All Blacks embark on their fifth World Cup campaign buoyed by recent history but wary of what has gone before on rugby's greatest stage.

Coach John Mitchell's team have done enough to provide optimism they can repeat the success of 1987. Whether they can clear the hurdles that have felled them late in the three subsequent campaigns will be revealed in less than two months.

The last of the 20 competing teams to arrive in Australia, on Wednesday next week, a New Zealand team brimming with youth and confidence are planning on being the last to leave, with a smallish gold cup added to their luggage.

Their game won't change much from what's been seen in 2003. Based on expansive expression, a willingness to counter-attack and faith in defence, it won them the Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup silverware.

But the challenge ahead on the fields of Australia is far greater.

Advocates of northern hemisphere rugby say Australia and South Africa didn't offer the true test of muscle that England and France can provide, those in the south say it doesn't matter because the hard fields and warm conditions will suit an open style.

The trenches have been dug but the no-man's-land between north and south may not be crossed until the final at Sydney on November 22.

If the tournament unfolds as most expect, Australia and New Zealand will meet in one semifinal while England will clash with France in the other.

The most popular pick is an England-All Blacks decider but the qualities of renowned giant-killers France and defending champions Australia -- probably backed by more choruses of Waltzing Matilda than ever before thanks to the meddling of the International Rugby Board -- cannot be ignored.

New Zealand supporters will want success at this tournament more than ever.

Sixteen years is a long time between drinks and there remains a deep resentment that the sub-hosting role was lost.

The All Blacks are more than used to hefty expectations and -- the loss to England aside -- have answered them this year.

But for captain Reuben Thorne and his teammates, there are other forces of motivation at work.

Thorne is one of eight players in the current squad involved in disastrous 1999 campaign, which saw the humiliating semifinal loss to France followed by defeat to South Africa in the playoff for third placing. The fallout at home was something the players want to forget.

"I think about it often but I don't hang on it, it's been and gone," Thorne says.

"But every once in a while I just remind myself that I don't want to go through that again."

He believes the buildup this year has been clearly superior and doesn't expect the fatigue to set in at the business end of the competition, as it did four years ago.

"I feel a lot more comfortable with this side than I did in '99," Thorne said, a glint in his eye as he looks ahead to good conditions after a month of camps in New Zealand plagued by cold temperatures, rain and even snow.

"Obviously there's a lot of pace in the side, a very high skill level all-round.

"Literally we can use those attributes in the conditions in Australia. There's a lot of belief built up through the Tri-Nations and the early games."

The man considered the greatest All Black of them all, Colin Meads, thinks the All Blacks have erred by not playing matches closer to the tournament, as most other nations have done.

However, halfback Justin Marshall says optimum performance requires rest and he says the team is primed.

"People wonder whether we should be playing rugby, but we want to be in the best shape of our lives when we hit this tournament," he says.

"Playing rugby is not going to do that for us because we can't do the strength and speed work and work on the gameplan we want to implement over there over there as well."

The All Blacks' most experienced player with 65 tests, Marshall is buzzing about his team's prospects, rejecting claims that Mitchell would pay for going in the opposite direction to England and casting aside a number of experienced players.

"They can say what they like but I would far rather be in this side that we've got than a side full of experience. They can pretty much harp along that train if they like to but I'm pretty comfortable with where we're at. I wouldn't be in any other side at the World Cup," Marshall enthuses.

"It has a huge amount of talent and speed like I've never seen before in any team I've been involved with."

However, over-confidence must be avoided at all costs if New Zealand are to avoid a repeat of 1999.

"I think the biggest danger to us is ourselves. We've got to treat every opposition player that we come up against with respect.

If we don't, we're neglecting our own preparation.

"It's a hell of a trophy to try and get hold of. It's eluded the All Blacks for a long time and it just shows how difficult it is to get and how good you have to be."

On current form, Thorne says the biggest dangers shape to be England and France but he warns his players won't get ahead of themselves.

First up is the pool phase, where Italy, Canada, Tonga and Wales will be willing opponents but unlikely to test the team to any degree.

Development work will continue, mostly from their private Melbourne base. Games outside Melbourne will see the All Blacks fly out a day or two before the match and back to base camp the following day with the aim of avoiding as many outside influences as they can.

A loss in their quarterfinal -- probably in Melbourne against South Africa -- would be little short of calamitous.

What happens beyond then, on Sydney's Olympic Stadium, will impact like no other event -- sporting or otherwise -- can do in New Zealand.

- NZPA