Flashback: Josh Kronfeld revisits the 1995 Rugby World Cup
In the second instalment of our RugbyPass Legends series, Martin Devlin sits down with ex-All Black flanker Josh Kronfeld to discuss his stellar career.
The start of the international career of Josh Kronfeld was nothing short of an absolute whirlwind.
With just one match under his belt – an All Blacks debut against Canada – the then 23-year-old flanker was thrust into Rugby World Cup action and tasked with bringing the William Webb Ellis Cup back to New Zealand.
In an exclusive interview with RugbyPass, Kronfeld revisited the All Blacks’ intense semi-final against England and the thrilling final showdown against host nation South Africa.
“The semi-final, everybody loves to talk about that game,” Kronfeld said. “I think for me, it’s probably the nuttiest game I’ve ever been involved in, in my life.”
“I didn’t understand until maybe five and ten years later why it was so nutty. I never understood how much that ’93 loss to the English at Twickenham affected all of those guys.
“There was some hurt, there was some pride, you name it. It was all chucked into this ball, this inferno of a game.”
Kronfeld then recalled being kept in line by senior players leading up to the match.
“That week, leading up to that game, I must have been told my job and my requirements for that particular game maybe fifteen times, from the same sort of six or seven players in that team.
“They were just like ‘you’ve got to do this, just make sure you do that, do that.’ I was going ‘I’ve got it guys, yeah, I’ve got it Fitzy [Sean Fitzpatrick]. I’ve got it Robin [Brooke].
“They were so fanatical about getting this game right.”
The flanker revealed that all the intense build-up had in fact stirred the team a little too much.
“When the game got into the final parts of the build-up, before we ran out, did the haka, the national anthem, all that sort of stuff, the boys started giving it the roar and getting the pump on.
“There’s froth coming out of the mouth, it’s like half of them had rabies. I can’t even explain the intensity of it.
“I’ve played some amazing tests for intensity and build-up and everything like that, but nothing on this world compares with that one moment. It was next level.
“So when we went out, it was just like… bleurgh! For like 60 minutes of that game, was just the All Blacks unleashing all the pent-up, crazy energy.”
Kronfeld then revisited the 1995 final, where the All Blacks lost to South Africa 15-12 after extra time.
“I got told to f*ck up”, Kronfeld said. “That’s the words that were used when I tried to express that we needed to change things up.”
“We were going wide, wide and just getting shut down. But I was the new boy on the block.
“The only time where I felt like we cut them up and looked dangerous was when we were doing stuff short in around Walter [Little] and Frankie [Frank Bunce] and Mehrts [Andrew Mehrtens].
“I think in the modern game, probably we wouldn’t have come unstuck like that because there’s so many more opportunities for the message to come down from upstairs.”
Regardless, Kronfeld credits the South African defence.
“They [South Africa] designed a way of dealing with our attack, and out offense, which was pretty impressive.”
“I think that was probably, when I look at that moment in history and time, we weren’t a team that was only capable of playing one way.
“We were very capable of playing all sorts of styles, and it was just a matter of realising it in that moment and making the adjustments and changes at the correct time.”
After the heartbreak of the 1995 World Cup, Kronfeld would go on to play in the 1999 iteration and finish his All Black career with 54 appearances.
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Comments on RugbyPass
“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
3 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.
2 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…??? 🤑🤑🤑
3 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
3 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)
3 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?
2 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.
4 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 commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
3 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to commentsGregor I just can’t agree with you. You are trying to find something that just isn’t there. Jordie Barrett has signed until 2028. By the end of that he would have spent probably 11-12 years on Super Rugby and you say he can’t possibly have one season playing somewhere else. It is absurd. What about this scenario, the NZR play hard ball and he decides to leave and play overseas. How would that affect the competition. There seems to be an agenda by certain journalists to push certain agendas and don’t like it when it’s not to their liking. I fully support the NZR on this. Gregor needs to get a life.
3 Go to commentsHope he stays as believe he can do a great job.
1 Go to comments