NZ Rugby World
April - May 2021New Zealand Rugby World is the premier authority on our national game; with sharp analysis and irreverent humour the two key components. In both style and content the writing is award winning and provides an unparalleled depth of insight into the people who play the game and the issues that matter to the fans. The cast of contributors is world class as is the photography and lay-out. Pick this magazine up and you won't want to put it down - rugby has never been so much fun.
in this issue
editor’s letter
KIA ORA AND THANK YOU. Thanks for picking us up and thanks for reading because we wouldn’t be here without you. It’s a real privilege for me to take over as Editor of New Zealand Rugby World from my old mate Gregor Paul, who has done an outstanding job. I hope to carry that on. For those who don’t know me, I’ve been around a while, covering the All Blacks for 20 years, working at TV3, The Dominion Post and on radio with Radio Live and Radio Sport. But it’s not about me. It’s also not about the talented writers who feature in this magazine, people like Rikki Swannell who is following in Melodie Robinson’s fine footsteps and smashing rugby’s glass ceilings. It’s not about Alex Chapman, a talented young fella who has taken a…
picking the greatest all blacks of all time
ON THE top of his bedroom wardrobe, in a brown paper bag, is a reminder of one of Brent Anderson's greatest days. It comes down from its hiding place when visitors to Anderson's farm at Te Ore Ore, about 20km from Masterton on the road to Castlepoint, ask to see it. There is nothing special about the wardrobe, or the bag, but what’s inside it is: an All Black test jersey. Although he played three times for his country and warmed the bench for four more, Anderson has only one test jersey. From James Allan in 1884, through to Cullen Grace, the last All Black named in 2020, 1192 men have played rugby for New Zealand, 167 of them making a solitary test appearance. Some recent one-test wonders may add to their tally;…
all blacks xv
HOW’S THIS FOR A SECOND XV George Nepia, Jeff Wilson, Joe Stanley, Sonny Bill Williams, Joe Rokocoko, Grant Fox, Sid Going, Wayne Shelford, Waka Nathan, Jerome Kaino, Sam Whitelock, Gary Whetton, Carl Hayman, Dane Coles, Wilson Whineray. AND WHAT ABOUT A THIRD Bob Scott, Bryan Williams, Conrad Smith, Tana Umaga, Sitiveni Sivivatu, Fred Allen, Chris Laidlaw, Brian Lochore, Graham Mourie, Ian Kirkpatrick, Ian Jones, Brad Thorn, Ken Gray, Keven Mealamu, Steve McDowall.…
a top 10 of tens
10TH Grant Fox and Joel Stranksy Ok, this is not a great start because it makes the top 10 of tens a top 11 but you’ve got to fit these two World Cup winners in somehow. Stransky played 22 tests for the Springboks but would have played more if not for South Africa’s exclusion from sport because of the country’s racist Apartheid regieme. His greatest moment was undoubtedly when he out-dropped Andrew Mehrtens to help South Africa win the 1995 World Cup. Fox played 46 tests for the All Blacks and was rock solid as they won the inaugural World Cup in New Zealand in 1987 and played all three tests in the series win against the British and Irish Lions in 1993. Barry John played 25 tests for Wales and was…
the making of rts as an all black
WAYNE SMITH had low expectations when he sat down for a coffee with Sonny Bill Williams and his manager, Khoder Nasser, at a cafe in Toulon. “We had heard a rumour that he might be interested in being an All Black” the then All Blacks assistant coach recalls of the 2009 meeting. So he was dispatched to France to see if there was fire behind the smoke. “I didn’t know what to expect, but you expect these guys to be after something, and I thought we wouldn’t be able to compete.” Smith had been told what New Zealand Rugby could offer Williams and he was almost embarrassed to table it. “What we were offering for him to play Super Rugby was probably about 10 percent of what he was on at Toulon but neither of…
cross codes
SONNY BILL WILLIAMS is only the second person to represent New Zealand in rugby union after first playing for the Kiwis in rugby league, and is one of only 21 players to have won multiple Rugby World Cups. He began his professional career in rugby league, and played second-row over eight seasons in three spells in the NRL, with the Bulldogs and Sydney Roosters. He played 12 tests for the Kiwis. He first moved to rugby union in 2010 and has played for Toulon in France, Canterbury, Counties Manukau, the Crusaders, Chiefs and Blues in New Zealand and Panasonic Wild Knights in Japan. He played 58 tests for the All Blacks, and was part of the teams that won the 2011 and 2015 World Cups. He has also played rugby sevens…
