Cullen, Kirwan, Carter, Kaino: The all-time All Blacks XV
First of all, feel free to argue.
These are unusual times, in which a variety of freedoms and pleasures have been denied us by a global pandemic. You might not be able to leave the house, but you can still argue long and loud and here’s another opportunity.
I watched my first All Blacks test, against Wales in Cardiff in 1980, and haven’t missed too many since. Some very fine – and sometimes great – players have worn the silver fern over that span and this is my favourite 15 of them.
Continue reading below…
Exclusion from this line-up is not a slight on anyone, nor is this meant to be the definitive word on the last 40 years of All Blacks rugby. This team merely reflects my preferences and is entirely subjective.
To that end, please complain loudly if you don’t like it. Don’t ring (because I don’t tend to answer the phone) but bag me by other means if you like.
And, more than anything, look after yourselves and your family and let’s all hope we’re all here to tell the tale of this pandemic in a few months’ time.
Here goes.
15. Christian Cullen
1996-2002; 58 tests
What a player, probably the most brilliant I can recall seeing. Even now his deeds still amaze, as evidenced by the proliferation of Cullen highlights reels that exist around the place.
Blessed with great pace and evasive skills, Cullen’s ability to beat defenders truly was remarkable and your heart skipped a beat whenever he got near the ball.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B976R6_gzKR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
14. John Kirwan
1984-1994; 63 tests
There’s a pattern in some of these selections, in that many are men who broke the mould. Be it with athleticism or skill, they changed the way people played their position or altered our perception of what such a player could do.
Kirwan, with his size and speed and sidestep, was one of those. Bryan Williams pre-dates me a bit, but Kirwan took what Williams had done and lifted it to another level.
13. Joe Stanley
1986-1990; 27 tests
He might not be on your list, but he’s definitely on mine. Frank Bunce and Tana Umaga were others I considered, but Stanley’s distribution skills put him in a different league.
Few men straightened an attack like Stanley. With the ball in two hands, he hit the line so square and kept so many defenders honest.
He could carry but, by playing so direct, Stanley created so much space for his outsides. Better still, his ability to then put the ball out in front of men such as John Kirwan, Craig Green and John Gallagher put Stanley in a class of his own.
12. Aaron Mauger
2001-2007; 45 tests
These last 40 years have seen a lot of strong-running All Blacks second five-eighths’. Many have been very effective in that role but, for me, Mauger’s skill and subtlety set him apart.
11. Jonah Lomu
1994-2002; 63 tests
Again, we’re talking about a man who changed rugby.
Sure, there have been more complete players to appear on the wing for New Zealand. Jeff Wilson, for one, was a guy whose range of skills probably put Lomu’s to shame.
But when Lomu was well – and even when he wasn’t sometimes – he did things on a rugby field that we’d never seen before.
10. Daniel Carter
2003-2015 112 tests
Just the complete first five-eighth. We’ve seen blokes like Grant Fox and Beauden Barrett be stars in their time, but neither possessed the all round game of Carter.
At his best, there have been none better in his position anywhere in the world.
https://twitter.com/RugbyPass/status/1244423887393189888
9. Aaron Smith
2012-present 92 tests
No halfback has suited the style of rugby most All Blacks teams have sought to play, better than Aaron Smith.
We want the game to played at pace, and with accuracy, and Smith epitomises that.
Others such as Justin Marshall and Dave Loveridge and Graham Bachop are remembered as great All Blacks halfbacks too, but Smith has taken the position to heights we probably haven’t seen before.
8. Murray Mexted
1979-1985; 34 tests
Wayne Shelford played 22 tests for New Zealand. Twenty two! It’s really not a lot when you consider the 127 Kieran Read cobbled together.
That’s partly why these are difficult exercises but, if I had to, I’d argue for Shelford ahead of Read every time. Shelford was a legend in his era and the nation felt a safer place when ‘Buck’ was the captain and No.8.
Zinzan Brooke also enjoyed two or three phenomenal years of test rugby, but best of all in my time was Murray Mexted.
He’d have been a sensation in the modern game, given the combination of athleticism and toughness he played with. Mexted oozed charisma and style too, at a time when All Blacks forwards could be a fairly dour lot.
7. Michael Jones
1987-1998; 56 tests
This is by no means a slight on Richie McCaw, who occupies a colossal place in All Blacks history.
But Jones was a bit like Cullen or Lomu. We’d never really seen anyone do the things that he did and it’s not an exaggeration to say a period of national mourning greeted the Anterior Cruciate Ligament rupture he suffered in 1989.
Such was medicine at the time, that there were grave fears Jones might never run again. Let alone play rugby at anything like the levels he’d taken openside play to since lighting up the 1987 Rugby World Cup.
The Jones of later years, who played on the blindside and bashed ball-carriers for fun, was still a very fine player, but nothing like the phenomenon who’d come before.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B-D6TtIAcXU/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
6. Jerome Kaino
2006-2017; 81 tests
Kaino might not have won test matches on his own, but he contributed to wins in a way that few blindside flankers ever had.
The controlled ferocity of his football was remarkable and he was able to dominate opponents on both attack and defence.
5. Brodie Retallick
2012-present; 81 tests
There’s an argument to be made that Retallick is the best all-round player on the planet.
A good lineout forward, whose work at the breakdown is of the highest order, Retallick carries strongly too. Better than that, though, he’s also a better playmaker than many backs.
Sure, our backline stars can all tuck the ball under an arm and run. But few are genuine ballplayers, who can put team-mates through holes the way big Brodie does.
The guy is just a pleasure to watch.
4. Ian Jones
1989-1999; 79 tests
The term “dockyard brawl’’ used to be synonymous with lineouts.
At best, they could be described as a shambles, from which there was no guarantee you’d win your own throw. Jones changed that for the All Blacks, with his leaping ability and aerial skills.
Even when lifting came into the game, New Zealand’s supply of ball was hardly plentiful. What they got came from Jones, even though the opposition knew almost every throw was coming his way.
That’s no mean feat.
3. Olo Brown
1992-1998; 56 tests
There have been fewer finer sights in All Blacks rugby, than that of Olo Brown’s back.
Ramrod straight, it was, no matter how much pressure came from the opposition scrum.
Brown was another of those players, who by his mere presence, made team-mates and fans alike feel as if everything would be all right.
2. Sean Fitzpatrick
1986-1997; 92 tests
Simply a winner.
Fitzpatrick was a guy with a big mouth, and a few Auckland airs, that not everyone liked initially. But All Blacks captaincy made him and, while he forever chipped away at opponents, he grew to become someone the whole country admired and counted on.
Before Fitzpatrick, players didn’t say much to referees. But he gave them a running commentary of their performance, to the point where they were intimidated by him.
He also set the benchmark when it came to lineout throwing.
1. Tony Woodcock
2002-2015; 118 tests
Like Brown, Woodcock was elite in his field.
Competition for places is among the things that have made the All Blacks so formidable over the years. But, again like Brown, Woodcock wasn’t just the best New Zealander in his position for the bulk of his career, but the best in the world too.
A great scrummager, with a seemingly limitless engine, Woodcock chugged around the field like few props before him, often scoring tries in the most unexpected times and places.
In other news:
Comments on RugbyPass
Lets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
10 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
10 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
35 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
35 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to comments