All Blacks close decade with 100 wins

The All Blacks will close the year as the best team of the decade, winning 24 more games than any other side, and scoring 133 more tries than the second best attacking nation. It has essentially been the perfect ten years for the New Zealand rugby team, with the exception of one small trophy.

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It will not be until 2011 that the All Blacks will be able to rectify the only caveat that currently blemishes their ever impressive record; with three World Cups “available” over the next ten years.

While some use all manner of vernacular in regards to New Zealand’s World Cup campaigns, such as failed expectations or even chokes, one of the main reasons that so much hype surrounds the All Blacks tilts at World Championship glory is because of their outstanding record before, after and in between these tournaments.

Even had the All Blacks managed to overcome a fired up Wallabies on Australian soil in 2003, statistically England were the best team in the world leading into that tournament and would have probably had the book makers edge if it was a New Zealand v England final.

And in 2007, our old antagonists France again spoiled the party.

Then the All Blacks loss was the story of the championship. For those lucky enough to walk down the Champs Elysees post match, you got a sense of what the game meant for the République française.

Days after that match in Cardiff, or even after the World Cup had concluded, one got a sense of what that Les Bleus 20-18 victory meant to a French nation. That the Springboks had won or that England had knocked the Tri Colours out at the semi-finals was a moot point.

As far as the French were concerned, they won the 2007 World Cup.

For victory over the All Blacks in the quarter final was indeed their heure de triomphe.

But now that we have gone over the small matter of the William Webb Ellis trophy, we can reflect on what has been an excellent decade for New Zealand.

It began with a 102-0 win over Tonga at Albany ten years ago and ended with the statement making 39-12 defeat of France at Marseille. Statistically the reflection of the last ten years cannot help but add a smile to even the harshest and most critical of All Black fans and supporters.

The All Blacks achieved 100 test wins, for an even 10 victories averaged out per test year. Next best were the Springboks with 76 wins, but South Africa were ranked fifth of all nations in terms of winning percentages.

Proving that they have indeed been a consistent world power for the last decade – despite only breaking their Six Nations drought this year – Ireland finished the decade as the second best team in world rugby over the last ten years in terms of winning ratio.

Ironically, while some will be quick to point out that the All Blacks claim to being the best team over the last ten years is soured by their lack of World Crowns (despite having an 82 percent winning ratio as compared to Ireland’s 64.9 percent), Ireland themselves know too well what it is like to dominate without winning the premier award.

Ireland has won the most games in the last decade of Six Nations with France (both with 36 wins and 14 losses), but Les Bleus have won four titles to Ireland’s one.

The men of the Emerald Isle may not approach the World Cup in 2011 with the same burden or expectation that the All Blacks will, but certainly the two best sides of the last decade in terms of winning records will wish to add some more Cups to their trophy cabinet to cement their status.

England and France round out the top five with 72 (62.6 percent) and 73 (61.3 percent) wins respectively, and the two traditional superpowers of the North can reflect on a decade where they by and large ticked the boxes.

England won their first World Cup, achieved second place at the 2007 tournament, and claimed three Six Nations titles between 2000 and 2003 to lay claim to being the best team at the turn of the century.

France, a consistent team throughout, won four Six Nations with two Grand Slams.

The Springboks, fifth best nation in terms of overall record, closed off the decade with style, winning the most recent World Cup, and taking a second Tri Nations title to add to their win in 2004. The South Africans also can lay stake to being the best performed team against the All Blacks, with eight of New Zealand’s 21 losses coming at the hands of their old foes.

The Wallabies, with two Tri Nation’s titles, three Bledisloe Cups and a World Cup finals appearance, finish the decade as the sixth best team in terms of winning percentages, but can proudly boast the record of scoring 393 test tries, the second best of all sides.

Argentina can reflect on a decade where they came of age, sitting seventh, but with a winning record of six test victories for every ten matches.

Whereas Wales, despite winning two Six Nations titles with Grand Slams, will wish to improve on their own legacy of being one of the traditional powers of the game, winning less than half of all their games in the last ten years.

But the All Blacks ruled supreme, and while the lack of World Cup success may be the proverbial “elephant” in the room for some, they were superior in most departments.

Hats must be donned to the New Zealand test coaches of the last decade, who have continued the truism that the All Blacks are one of the leaders of the game, playing an open and appealing style of rugby.

They have scored 526 test tries, an average of 4.3 tries per match.

No other team has breached 400.

Defensively, they have been just as impressive, conceding just 167 tries.

They won six of the ten Tri Nations titles on offer, recorded two touring Grand Slams and won seven consecutive Bledisloe Cups.

But most importantly, they have kept their brilliant home record strong, which will be vital in the coming years leading to 2011.

In 56 matches, they have won 50.

To put this achievement into perspective against their Tri Nations opponents, they haven’t lost to the Wallabies in New Zealand since 2001, and the Springboks win last year in Carisbrook was their first this decade.

As for what the future holds, it is impossible to predict, but at the end of the next ten years our game will have changed irrevocably.

The next decade will see a huge period of growth and transition for the game, not only within our own shores with a changing Air New Zealand Cup and the Super rugby tournament expanding to 15 teams, but there is the small matter of an Olympics to attend in 2016.

In 2010, the test season commences with the Six Nations, with Ireland hosting Italy, England welcoming Wales, and Scotland playing France at home.

The All Blacks will kick off their test season with a match against Ireland at New Plymouth, before playing a two test series with Wales at Carisbrook and Waikato Stadium. The Tri Nations will commence with the All Blacks hosting the Springboks at Eden Park on July 10th.

Statistics 2000-2009 major test nations (with thanks to NZPA)

P W D L PF PA Tries %

New Zealand 122 100 1 21 4436 1920 526 82.0
Ireland 111 72 2 37 3076 2097 343 64.9
England 115 72 0 43 3320 2125 353 62.6
France 119 73 2 44 3283 2403 340 61.3
South Africa 125 76 2 47 3570 2663 384 60.8
Australia 123 74 3 46 3443 2254 393 60.2
Argentina 85 51 1 33 2696 1734 314 60.0
Wales 117 55 3 59 3160 2900 345 47.0
Scotland 104 39 1 64 2139 2541 211 37.5
Italy 111 31 1 79 2218 3357 215 27.9

World Cup winners:
2003: England. 2007: South Africa

Tri-Nations winners:
New Zealand 6, South Africa 2, Australia 2

Six Nations winners:
France 4, England 3, Wales 2, Ireland 1

PLAYERS
Most tests:
110: George Smith (Australia)
99: John Hayes (Ireland/Lions)
97: Chris Paterson (Scotland)
95: Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland/Lions), Ronan O'Gara (Ireland/Lions)
93: John Smit (South Africa)
92: Victor Matfield (South Africa)

New Zealand:
82: Mils Muliaina
80: Richie McCaw
71: Keven Mealamu

Most wins:
70: Richie McCaw (New Zealand)
68: Mils Muliaina (New Zealand)
65: George Smith (Australia)
63: John Hayes (Ireland)

Most points:
994: Daniel Carter (New Zealand)
954: Jonny Wilkinson (England/Lions)
929: Ronan O'Gara (Ireland/Lions)
784: Stephen Jones (Wales/Lions)
741: Chris Paterson (Scotland/)
703: Percy Montgomery (South Africa)

Most tries:
50: Shane Williams (Wales/Lions)
49: Doug Howlett (New Zealand)
45: Joe Rokocoko (New Zealand)
38: Chris Latham (Australia), Brian O'Driscoll (Ireland/Lions)