RWC: All Blacks' aura the envy of world rugby

Ma'a Nonu said the All Blacks jersey was always his aim while growing up. Photo / Brett Phibbs

At England's training ground, two days before a World Cup final in England's stadium, New Zealand's players are asked repeatedly what it means to wear the holy jersey.

This is the point in the build-up where the All Black mystique casts the kind of spell Stuart Lancaster's banished team tried and failed to copy.

Steve Hansen's players are used to it by now. They know the cultivation of the All Black 'aura' has worked. Australia's media, who have been goading Richie McCaw as an expert and unpunished law-breaker, were not the ones asking the questions at Pennyhill Park. But across much of rugby it is accepted that playing for New Zealand is a quasi-religious calling.

So, Ma'a Nonu, what does it mean to you? Nonu takes a breath and then starts out: "For me it was always a dream. You go through college and you see the All Blacks playing overseas, especially in South Africa or the UK. Rugby is a big part of how we grow up, it's part of our history, it's a part of who we are as men. That is what we strive to become. When you become an All Black it's more than just playing rugby, it's representing your country, your family. All rugby players want to do is play the best footie with your best mates and go into battle."

The most powerful phrase in that answer is "who we are as men". This expansion of the All Black identity to manhood, self-image, life itself, is about as far as you can push a national tradition. The standard summary is that rugby is an expression of New Zealand, the nation, rather than just its sporting passions: a heightened state Australia cannot hope to match, since union is no higher than third on their list of sporting interests.

But with New Zealand now occupying England's Winter Palace, Hansen's team announcement offered a chance for English listeners to reflect again on the ultimate fruitless mission to turn playing for England into an equally hallowed mission.

One of Lancaster's core policies was to encourage a sense of honour and gratitude. He put mini Victoria Crosses on England's shirts, invited service personnel to address the squad and asked parents and other influential figures to write to the players telling them what it meant to them to see their son or pupil sport the red rose.

After the presentation, Brad Barritt, the England centre, said: "That night, for me, was truly the birth of the new England culture." Some players cried.

But against Wales and Australia in Pool A, this conditioning had no effect. England seemed overwhelmed by being World Cup hosts and by the stress of having to make big decisions in tight games. And while communal tradition and shirt-adoration is a factor in New Zealand's formidable run of 13 consecutive victories in World Cup matches, the bigger elements are surely a winning habit and the presence of a golden generation, led by the captain, McCaw.

"When you're a young fella growing up playing rugby, you want to be an All Black, that is your dream," McCaw said. "The first time, I never wanted the moment to finish. Every time since, I always take a moment during the week to realise how lucky you are to pull on the black jersey. Once you get past that, it's about leaving something of yourself in there. That is what being an All Black requires - that you add to what has gone before. You don't want to let it down."

Adding "to what has gone before" was central to Lancaster's attempted reboot of the England mentality. In this scenario, a player is only a temporary custodian of something that is passed along the generations. For New Zealand, bidding to become the first back-to-back world champions, it has become a useful mantra.

"It's a feeling of humbleness and being grateful to have an opportunity, the great honour of being able to lead the team," said Hansen, who seldom emotes.

"Once you get over the daunting impact of it - you are expected to win all the time, and there is a lot of pressure that comes with being involved - it's a great place to be."

A great place, with a win ratio of 77 per cent and three defeats since the 2011 World Cup. The mantras are strong but the numbers tell the real story. The skills and the personalities and the victories create the pride, not the other way round - which is where England were forced to start.