Mixed thoughts for All Blacks about perfect season

Mixed thoughts for All Blacks about perfect season

The perfect season is something that no nation in the professional era has ever achieved, and if two major marks were to be identified that have stood unchallenged throughout history, this would be the only one achievable in the coming years.

The second mark will not be able to be attempted until late 2015, when the All Blacks will look to become the first World Champions to successfully defend a global crown.

Sides throughout the ‘amateur’ era notched perfect seasons, but with one to two Tests per year at times, this was not recognised as a significant achievement.

Unbeaten campaigns have been achieved since the game went pro, by the All Blacks in 1997 under John Hart, but a 26-26 draw against England at Twickenham prevented perfection, and some English analysts believe that was the result that began the Red Rose’s ascent to glory six years later.

It was one of the first times that a side had done a victory lap after squaring scores against an opponent.

Ireland in 2009, fresh off a Grand Slam, had an understrength team navigate North America unbeaten to arrive back home with eight straight wins and a flawless ledger in sight, but a 20-20 draw against the Wallabies – the match in which the Irish could well have won with such a powerful finish – halted Declan Kidney’s potential rise to the history books.

In 1996, 2005, 2006 and 2010 the All Blacks went through the season with just the solitary loss.

But history books are merciless and are still to have the word ‘perfect’ etched into their calendar records.

Some players, such as the younger members of the squad like Beauden Barrett, had spoken about the potential feat prior to Tokyo.

“It's been a goal of ours ever since we came over here to finish with four wins to top off a great season,” he said.

However All Blacks coach Steve Hansen, towing the party line of only looking ahead to the next match, said it would not be a topic floating around the training field as they prepare for France in their 12th Test of the season.

“It's something that's in the background, it's for other people to talk about,” Hansen said.

2010 was a tough year, the loss in hong kong is what put donald duck on the outer for so many.

full credit to the beaver for the RWC penalty goal, but i will always remember him more for his hong kong blunder, of course this comes back to that other thread where IMO kiwis revere every test match and not just the RWC.

good luck boys, i know we can do it in 2013, after a ll friday 13th is black friday, so 2013 is an All Blacks year, u cant mess with that hol lywood logic, lolz, :o)

Yes very mixed thoughts indeed.
The Springboks scored more tries in the 4 nations this year and were the most expansive team in the tournament. The 2 most dominant performances where Australia were mutilated at their Fortress and the Argentinians went down with cricket score in South Africa.
In Johannesburg The Boks have 17 line breaks to the All Blacks seven.  The All Blacks coaching continuity and more experienced combinations saw the lesser team win.
Only inexperience of the Superior Springoboks in Johannesbury gifted the All Blacks tries that a typical Springbok defence would have contained.
Some poor lineouts and takes at the kick offs from the now disposed Juande Kruger has seen a real Springbok enter the fray as PSTD, with Bakies in the background.
Most pundits on Sky Sports said the Boks lost the game more than the All Blacks won it. Although it does look like another cycle of the All Blacks peaking before the world cup

@sharkbok,

"The Springboks scored more tries in the 4 nations this year and were the most expansive team in the tournament."
RC/4nats
Springboks - 22 trys (23 but one was a penalty try which wasnt scored, it was awrded)
All Blacks - 24 trys

as u can see, the All Blacks clearly scored more trys then the Boks so stop talking kak and start checking ur facts.

im not surprised to see u think that the Boks played the more expansive rugby, i would suggest u watch the eden park test and take a look first hand at the laughable expansive rugby u keep talking about.

like i said im not surprised, ur a saffa and expansive rugby to saffas is something very foreign but exciting to them, it make thems say stupid things like u just did and play in stupid ways, like the Boks did in ellis park.

dont worry though, u will get there one day, but dont hod ur breath waiting, cos i dont want u to pass out.
saffas and expansive rugby remind me of teenagers getting pissed for the first time, they think theyre bullet proof, but really look like a tool,

"Most pundits on Sky Sports said the Boks lost the game more than the All Blacks won it. Although it does look like another cycle of the All Blacks peaking before the world cup"
LMAO, :oD

most saffa pundits said that the Boks would win too, how did that end up for them.

and All Blacks peaking before the RWC??? take a look at the All Blacks before the last RWC, we had a pretty meke record there too, not as awesome as the current record mind u, but unlike the Boks, we dont ever sacrifice a test for the RWC, thats the difference between losers and winner.

didnt bother addressing the middle part of ur posts, but food for thought, no team scored more trys against the All Blacks in any test, the All Blacks have been the most attacking rugby nation in my life time period, and beating ur chest cos the Boks smashed a pumas team whose players have palyed F all rugby is somenthing that very few would be proud of, especially as the pumas the following week scored more trys then the Boks in the mendoza test, where less a year ago the Boks were ruthlessly shamed.

@Sasuke, as a principle of posting it is ethically correct to quote and then reference where you got your stats from when you challenge the stats of others.
This would be a link to the website source that shows the exact stats, and who they are collected by.  It could be the local fan boy club or from another blogger on another website for all I know.
Australia pushed you guys close, but it was just a walk in the park for the Springboks against them. 

@sharkbok,

i have all the games on my rugby hardrive, so i quickly took a look and used simple childrens counting skills to work it out.

however, after a bit of google and wikipedia,,,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Rugby_Championship

heres a link with all the trys during the 2013 RC/4nats.

not the first time u have been busted posting things without clarification, nor the last i suspect,

and no sharkbok, the wallabies never pushed the All blacks close, the game may have been closer then the Boks wallabies test, but All Blacks were never in danger of losing the test at any stage, just like we were never in dnager of losing to the Boks, which they didnt, hence All Blacks 100% winning percentage in 2013 and the Boks 77%.

also a little FYI vs wallabies
Boks have lost 6 tests from their last 10
the All Blacks have only lost 2 from their last 10

since 08
Boks have won  9 and lost 7
All Blacks have won 21 and lost 3

please enough with the wallabies already, only u think its achievement to beat a team thats been a kak as ur facts,

its a mistake to to judge how one team fares cos how they preformed against another, u only need to look at ur last test with the pumas to know this.

another lesson that ur not quite ready, but understandable cos ur on a high from the Boks expansive game which is more then what weve seen from the Boks in the enitre professional era combined.

one thing about being so evolved in the game of rugby is that its a little lonely, these lessons are like trying to teach caveman how to drive a car,

 Me thinks Sharkbok is taking the mick.  No where have I read in the media even from SA scribes that the Boks lost the game rather than the AB's winning it.  There seems to be a trend following a Bok loss to the AB's:  1st humble pie, then die hard Bok fans disappear for awhile to mourn, then reappear and all of a sudden have a new fairytale of how the loss was really a win if ...(fill in the blank)...happened.

@sharkbok,

i take it u have checked all the facts for urself now, fiven the ample time between posts???

but regarding this comment of urs,,,
"This would be a link to the website source that shows the exact stats, and who they are collected by.  It could be the local fan boy club or from another blogger on another website for all I know."

may i ask where did u get ur incorrect facts from, im guessing u did a rough guesstimation on the matter urself, but id u did get it of some fanboy, i would love to know ur sources and give my inner troll something else or someone else to feast on,