Rugby: Days when fern was not welcome

L-R Sir Brian Lochore, Jonah Lomu, Sir Graham Henry and Stephen Donald. Photo / Nick Reed.

All Black legend Sir Brian Lochore remembers a time when the jersey attracted abuse at home

The All Blacks will go into this year's World Cup in six weeks with the weight of the nation on their shoulders but they will at least do it proudly wearing All Blacks paraphenallia.

The 1987 side weren't so fortunate.

Sir Brian Lochore, who coached the team for the inaugural tournament, said members of the squad were embarrassed to walk around in public with All Blacks kit on because of the abuse directed towards them in the wake of the Cavaliers tour of 1986 and cancelled tour of South Africa of 1985.

"We had just been through a terrible stage of the All Blacks being hated by the general public of New Zealand," Lochore said at the Legends in Black dinner at Eden Park last night. "The players were scared to walk downtown because someone would abuse them because of the contact with South Africa through the Cavaliers tour and the cancelled 1985 tour. It had a massive effect and the general public wouldn't know the sort of abuse they got. "

That abuse, however, slowly subsided as the All Blacks navigated their way through the tournament, starting with the 70-6 win over Italy in the opening game of the tournament at Eden Park. By the time they beat France 29-9 to claim the first World Cup, most of the public were behind them.

"Instead of 50 per cent support, it was 60 per cent [after Italy] and then 70 per cent and it built from there," said Lochore, who was also campaign manager for the 1995 campaign in South Africa.

"We didn't go into that tournament as favourites because we had been beaten by Australia and beaten by France in the last game of 1986. The hiding we got by France in the third test in Nantes was the best thing that could happen.

"Instead of being on the beach over the summer, we had to prepare for the World Cup. We realised we couldn't take on Australia and France up front so we played an incredibly fluid game and ensured the breakdowns were on the wing. That's how we won.

"We were never going to lose that game [the final]. For the first time in five years, the players went downtown with All Blacks kit on and they felt proud to be an All Black."