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'I got ripped a new one by the coaches': How Liam Messam's All Blacks career almost came to a premature end
Despite accruing well over 300 first-class appearances, two Commonwealth Games titles and one Rugby World Cup, former All Black Liam Messam’s career has been anything but smooth-sailing.
The 36-year-old recently returned to New Zealand on the back of a short stint in France and, following his final match of the year with Waikato, has revealed some of the struggles that professional rugby players are forced to navigate during their careers.
Writing for The XV, Messam delved into his most painful losses with the All Blacks and how they helped him grow as both a player and person.
“When you don’t lose often, you feel the losses even harder,” Messam said. “Two of my most vivid memories playing for the All Blacks are two games we didn’t win.
“The first, I’ve written about before. It was the 2014 game in South Africa when I gave away a penalty right near the end which they kicked to steal the match.”
In an earlier column for The XV, Messam revealed that Springboks centurion Schalk Burger was one of the first players to approach him following the game and encouraged him to keep his chin up.
Steve Hansen, who was New Zealand coach at the time, also consoled his charge.
“I remember straight after the game, Steve Hansen came over and put his arm around me and gave me a big hug and just said ‘Na it’s not on you, it’s not your fault.’ You could probably tell from my vibe that I wasn’t feeling the best after that game.
“That penalty I conceded against South Africa was just three points out of 20-odd they scored but in the time and the moment, you forget that. You feel like you’ve let your team and your country down.”
Messam’s relationship with Hansen wasn’t always quite as positive, however, with the All Black saying that during his formative years with the team, he sometimes felt Hansen was picking on him.
In 2009, Messam was selected to start at the back of the scrum against France in just his third test match. The French shocked everyone by nabbing a 27-22 victory in Dunedin and 25-year-old Messam had a performance to forget.
“A lot of things didn’t go well for me – I fell off a few tackles, I probably didn’t put in enough back-to-back efforts – and I can remember it so clearly,” said Messam.
“I got ripped a new one by the coaches afterwards. I remember Steve used to be really, really tough on me, but I understand why he was now. He was just trying to help me be a better player.
“At the time, I was like, ‘This guy hates me. This guy is always picking on me.’ But I eventually understood it. He was the forwards coach then and he was just trying to help get me to the right level and figure out what I needed to do to be an All Black.”
All Blacks playmaker Beauden Barrett is set to depart for Japan at the conclusion of the Rugby Championship. #AllBlacks https://t.co/kWRDBraf2A
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 25, 2020
While Messam wasn’t sighted again for the All Blacks until their end of year tour, he used the performance – and the response from coaches, the media and fans – to motivate himself to improve and ultimately finished his international career with 43 caps to his name.
While he credits that game and the experience for how it lit a fire in his belly, he’s also acutely aware of how big an impact negative criticism and comments can impact a player and their wider circle.
“Family members read the papers and hear talk on the radio and whatnot. It’s really tough on them,” he said. “I think the public can forget that we’re also human and we have family and friends that always have our back and support us, but they go through the hard times too.”
Messam drew parallels between his experiences and what some current All Blacks and their families may be going through now following two straight losses.
“The All Blacks will hear a little bit of what’s been thrown around about them but it’s their loved ones that are really taking the brunt of the chatter – and the wider public probably don’t realise that.
“But I’ve got faith we’ll bounce back. Losses are the best learning opportunities and I think this young All Blacks team will have taken plenty of lessons out of the past few weeks.”
Comments on RugbyPass
The rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
76 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
9 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
9 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
2 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to comments