Shades of the cotton-wool club in 2019's All Blacks management policy?
With the ever-increasing demands of professional rugby pushing players to their limits, it’s become an annual tradition for New Zealand’s top players to spend some enforced time on the sidelines during the Super Rugby season.
Last year, six camps spread throughout the season pulled almost 40 players from their Super Rugby sides to spend time training in the All Blacks environment. These camps didn’t overlap with any matches, but the Chiefs were forced to omit eight of their players from a game in South Africa against the Sharks so that they could return to New Zealand for the midweek camp.
All Blacks were also required to be rested from at least two matches during the season to ensure player welfare wasn’t compromised – a rule which has existed for a number of years now.
2019 sees management of All Blacks by their Super Rugby teams stepped up a notch – as has come to be expected in World Cup years. The same two-match rest is required for All Blacks but their transition from the offseason into Super Rugby has also been carefully managed.
Over the first three matches, All Blacks are expected to play for no more than 180 minutes total. Supporters will be hopeful that this is a flexible rule as some players will likely hit the 160-minute mark after only the initial two games.
Some All Blacks who clocked up significant hours last year, including Kieran Read and Beauden Barrett, have also been held back from playing any matches this early into the season.
Looking forward to the rest of the season, All Blacks are also limited to appearing in five games in a row – though whether a bye breaks up this rule has not been made clear.
Although the ire of many will be raised when they realise that we are once again in for a season of Super Rugby that will at times be devoid of some of New Zealand’s top players, this year’s management policy doesn’t compare to the first blanket management policy introduced in 2007 – it is, however, a small step up from what we’ve seen in recent times.
Go back to the last World Cup in 2015 and there were far fewer restrictions on coaches when it came to which players they were allowed to field.
Like now, all All Blacks who were utilised on 2014’s end of year tour were required to stand down for two games during the season. This resulted in some bit-part All Blacks being rested when their workloads were, in fact, lesser than some of their franchise teammates. Other than this restriction, there were no other blanket distractions for Super Rugby teams.
Senior players Read and Sam Whitelock had mini-sabbaticals built into their contracts which allowed them to sit out the early part of the season whilst others such as Richie McCaw spent considerable spells on the sidelines due to injury – but these arrangements were very much on a case by case basis.
Using results as the only benchmark, 2015’s resting policy was a success as the All Blacks went on to become the first team to win back-to back World Cups when they toppled Australia at Twickenham in the latter part of the year.
Four years earlier, McCaw was the only All Black to start the season watching from the stands. Although players had brief spells throughout the season, this seemed to be as much about keeping them fresh and firing for the playoffs as it was about preparing them for the Rugby World Cup. There was no widely publicised resting policy for New Zealand’s international reps in 2011 – hardly surprising, given what happened four years prior.
2007 lives on as an infamous year in New Zealand rugby history for a number of reasons: The All Blacks were knocked out of the World Cup in France by the hosts (the only time NZ has failed to progress past the quarterfinals), no New Zealand team made the Super Rugby final (which has happened only three times in the competition’s 23-year history), and – the cause often blamed for both the other issues – then All Blacks coach Graham Henry pulled 22 players from Super Rugby for half the competition, seriously weakening the New Zealand sides and leaving many players under-conditioned.
You can, to some extent, understand Henry’s rationale for his so-called “cotton-wool club” – the last thing a coach wants during a World Cup is to be utilising tired, overworked players. What happened, however, is the exact opposite; the All Blacks showed up at the World Cup looking they were still trying to find their form after a long pre-season.
The argument for keeping players sidelined during that 2007 season is weakened further when you consider that the All Blacks possessed arguably the greatest depth they’ve ever had in their squad during that period.
On New Zealand’s 2006 end of year tour, the All Blacks swept through England, France (twice) and Wales, with only Dan Carter and Richie McCaw starting all four matches. A year earlier, the All Blacks secured a Grand Slam on their tour and at one point completely swapped out their starting XV between matches against Wales and Ireland (winning both matches by 38 points).
In 2007 the All Blacks had two legitimate contenders for world class players in every single position so an injury here or there would have had limited impact on the squad as a whole.
After their performance at the World Cup, Henry eventually branded the cotton-wool club a mistake – which did little to make New Zealand supporters feel any better about the horror show that was 2007.
Henry’s decision to pull players from Super Rugby in 2007 was the first widespread player management policy instigated in New Zealand rugby for a World Cup year. Given it had been 20 years since the All Blacks last triumphed, you can appreciate why Henry thought that a change might do the team some good. The abysmal outcome of the enforced stand-downs, however, has all but guaranteed that we will likely never see such a comprehensive plan utilised in the future – which all fans will be happy for.
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Comments on RugbyPass
The 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. 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?
1 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.
1 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?
2 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 commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
19 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments