KeithQuinnRugby
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9 December 2015
Golly! Turning back the clock today! Martin Devlin of Radio Sport in New Zealand has just had me on-air on his programme asking for memories of the first ever 'Grand Slam win' by an All Blacks team in the United Kingdom. I gave him my best based on using notes from my 'Encyclopedia of World Rugby' published in the 1990s (and updated here) concerning which southern hemisphere countries had done best at this unique achievement. Read on here;
South Africa's Springboks achieved the most impressive Grand Slam feats of all beating all five teams on its UK and France tours of 1912–13 and 1951–52. New Zealand and Australia have not ever done that.
And in 1960–61 the Springboks beat the four United Kingdom teams but drew with France, and in 1931–32 it beat the four UK teams but did not play France. So South Africa kind of lead the way here I think you might agree.
The All Blacks did not win their first Grand Slam against British and Irish countries until 1978, under the captaincy of Graham Mourie. But that team did not play France on that tour. The ‘Invincibles’ New Zealand team of 1924–25 also won four internationals, including against France, but did not play Scotland. The 1967 All Blacks (Brian Lochore's team) also won four internationals but did not play Ireland.
At the 1995 Rugby World Cup in South Africa the All Blacks won a 'World Cup Grand Slam' beating Ireland and Wales in pool play; Scotland in a quarter-final and England in a semi-final. No other team has done that.
The All Blacks have also won Grand Slams in 2005 (captain Tana Umaga), 2008 and 2010 (both under Richie McCaw). Those ones do not include games v France. But still that means NZ have four 'UK Grand Slams.' Sadly since 2010 the world of rugby officialdom and marketing have not allowed the All Blacks to attempt any more 'GS's".
Australia won its only Grand Slam against all four 'Home' countries in 1984. They did not play France.
Australia had a 'Grand Slam of defeats' on their 1957-58 tour, losing all five games including against France. But their 1947-48 team had another unique Grand Slam; That team did not win all four internationals but in their four games, win or lose, they did not have their try-line crossed.
In terms of UK Grand Slams among the English, Scottish, Welsh, Irish and French teams, perhaps the England effort of 1928 deserves to be called the greatest, when it beat all the other teams in the Five Nations championship as well as the 1928 season’s touring team, the famous ‘Waratahs’ of New South Wales." Well done England!
Keith Quinn
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the 1906-07 All Black fullback), Ernest Edward 'General' Booth was born. He was nicknamed after William Booth, the founder and first General of the Salvation Army. After touring Great Britain with the 1905-06 New Zealand team E.E.Booth later became a rugby writer and was one of the first touring rugby correspondents. He travelled with the 1908-9 Australian team to Great Britain. Later still he gained notoriety (in the strictly amateur game of the time) when he was hired as a professional rugby coach by the Southland Rugby Union.
RANDELL, TAINE
Otago and New Zealand
51 internationals for New Zealand 1997-2002
The talented New Zealand utility loose forward, who sadly, might be remembered more as the man who had the unenviable job of returning home after being the captain of the beaten All Blacks at the 1999 Rugby World Cup. Such a summary is totally unfair as Randell’s team left for the Cup with excessive expectations from the New Zealand public, and it belies the fact that Randell was a top international forward right through his playing career. It is just that by various All Black selectors he was shunted though three loose forward positions and not ever being allowed to settle in one.
Randell came into the All Blacks on the 1995 tour of France, and within 12 months on the 1996 tour of South Africa he had become a 21 year old captain of the midweek New Zealand team. By 1997 he made his test debut against Fiji at Albany Stadium at North Shore, Auckland. That year, in a gruelling sequence at the time, he played in all 12 tests on the All Blacks programme. One of those was as a number eight forward, the others as a blindside flanker. In the next year the All Black coach John Hart elevated him to the test captaincy. At 23 years old he was the fourth youngest leader in All Black history. He played the first five of those tests as a number eight but was then shuffled back to the flanker’s role.
Initially the captaincy sat kindly on Randell’s shoulders. But as a sequence of defeats crept in, rather than blame the older players, it was the young captain who took the rap from the public. He seemed to lose confidence and, at times, composure.
In 1999, World Cup year, the New Zealand public believed that the spirit of the All Blacks would come through again and young Randell was again charged with leading the team, with the massive trust again on his shoulders.
The All Blacks reached the semi-finals against France at Twickenham but there the New Zealanders world came crashing down. France won 43-31. In Britain (and France no doubt!) the game is remembered as one of the greatest ever seen at Twickenham; in New Zealand it was seen as a national disaster. And heads had to roll. Coach John Hart resigned as soon as the Cup series was over. Randell had to wait till new coach Wayne Smith decided if he wanted to retain him or not. Smith did, but not with the captaincy. Todd Blackadder was preferred instead. The leadership was wrenched away from Randell who had to publicly face the wrath and scorn of the public.
He played most of the season in the team however and after the departure of Smith as coach, (replaced by John Mitchell), and injuries to two further All Black leaders (Anton Oliver and Rueben Thorne) Randell was restored as captain for the late season tour to Europe in 2002. By then, at 28 years old, Randell was a much more mature person and to most people’s delight he handled things well. In the game against France at Paris he became one of the small band of All Blacks who in those times had passed 50 test match appearances.
How many players of Samoan-birth or Samoan heritage have captained the All Blacks in tests? Name them.
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