Living as a Kiwi in the UK. It is amazing how many people ask me….
Nick, why are the All Blacks so good?
It’s like they are asking me because I have a secret to tell them or know something they don’t know.
When trying to answer this question, I am immediately transported back in time. I grew up in the outdoors, in the summer sun, playing touch, backyard cricket (BYC) and passing a Rugby ball around at the lake or on the beach. Like many young New Zealand boys, I wanted to be an All Black.
In high school my career adviser got me to do one of those tests to see what profession I should pursue. The computer program spat out options like JOIN THE ARMY, BE A SCHOOL TEACHER, BECOME A PERSONAL TRAINER.
When I told my careers adviser that I was not happy with the answers and that I wanted to be an All Black, she actually laughed. I had this firm belief that I would play Rugby and give my All Black dream a good crack. Some years later that dream has never died – see an article written here. Don’t believe everything you read in the paper as I was not expecting to step up to the All Blacks from Stew Mel.
To answer the question… why the All Blacks are so good?
The firm belief of every male in New Zealander who wants to be an All Black, still thinks they will be and is an All Black. There is a belief within the All Blacks that gives each player confidence, to push harder than they ever thought possible. You do not own the jersey but instead, you are the temporary guardian of that jersey, and you will leave it in a better place. You will perform for family, your team and the country. You have strong confidence in yourself and the players around you. (Similar but not the same to Conor McGregor here).
The All Blacks continuously train the fundamentals of the game until mastery. As we grow up with an awesome summer it is rarely a football which is taken to the park or the beach but a rugby ball. There is always a game of touch rugby on, and most games are happy for you to join in. As long as your not a complete muppet.
The All Blacks of today are some of the most humble professional sports people. They are always willing to go above and beyond for the fans. They all take responsibility to make sure the changing rooms are kept in order. They know that there is always someone else ready to knock you out of that spot or provide something extra which will make the team better. They will not sulk about it if they are dropped. They will work out how they are going improve their game and get back into the team.
The New Zealand rugby pathway is fantastic for aspiring players. If you are good enough at each level, you are never left behind. For example, if you play well at club rugby, when the season is over you can be picked for the Mitre 10 Cup. From provincial level you can either be selected for Investec Super Rugby, the sevens campaign over the summer or on a rare occasion be picked up for the end of year tour.
Every level has a sub-level of competition which brings together the best players, so you are always exposed to high levels of competition. It is not uncommon to have an All Black playing club rugby when he is returning from injury. He is never feared by the club man but looked upon as an equal. He is flesh, blood, and bones ready to be knocked over by the club player looking to test himself.
The level of coaching in New Zealand is fantastic. Not only do you have former players and gifted former players coaching at the top level you often see former professionals coaching their son’s teams or school teams in a way to give back. There is always someone within New Zealand rugby to learn from and help take your game to the next level. Around the world, you can see the quality of coaches we have outside of New Zealand, for example, Joe Schmidt, Vern Cotter, Warren Gatland, Todd Blackadder to name a few. I love it how New Zealand born coaches are the architects in bringing down Steve Hansen and the All Blacks.
The Mixture of European, Maori and Pacific Island people. New Zealand has a diverse mix of cultures. We embrace our culture and the HAKA. As kiwis, we feel the tingle down our spine and recognize its importance. As a nation, we love the crowd goes wild for their segment ” smashed em bro.” We embrace physicality throughout the grades, and we learn from a young age that this is an essential part of the game.3
Develop the fundamentals. Master the basics of passing before you look to use the flick offload. Time and again in the lower levels you see players use the underhand flick and fail when they have time to execute a pass with two hands with 100% accuracy!
If you have a great game, great. However, no one needs to hear about it apart from your girlfriend or wife at home (even then its suspect). No one likes that dude in the changing room or on the training paddock telling you how good he is or what level he has played. Just front up and show everyone as talk is cheap. No one likes a shit lad.
Learn from those who are more skilled than you. Learn from those who have played at the level you want to. Learn from those who coach at a high level. Those people know about the game and if you are not getting it from your current coaches seek out who can help you and always challenge yourself. This is how you learn. Get out of your comfort zone and get skilled.
Get as much game time and game development training in as possible. You learn from gameplay, decision making, controlling the game as a ten, upsetting a prop in the scrum or reading lineout calls that are unfamiliar.
Give respect to other players when necessary but know everyone is made of the same stuff, be physical, be ready and watch out as you may feature on “smashed em bro.”
Have a plan, stepping stones and goals to achieve. Write it down and tell everyone you know. Hold yourself accountable to reach those goals, have an uncompromising belief that you will achieve them.
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