Madrid

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So I’m in Madrid.  Not sure exactly why but I’m glad I came because it’s a fantastic city.  Basically just wanted to get out of Paris for a couple of days and have always wanted to see the Spanish capital, so a twelve hour train ride seemed the right course of action.  I wish I could stay longer but duty calls back in France so I’ll get back on the train shortly.

E-mail Brownie at MediaZone’s MailbagThe fallout from the losses by New Zealand and Australia is certainly entertaining unless you happen to be a Kiwi or an Aussie.  In Australia it’s a fairly big deal but they’ll move on to other pursuits quickly enough.  In New Zealand it’s just the beginning of what promises to be a four-year inquisition.

Why did they lose?  Who’s to blame? How much will it cost the NZRU in lost future revenue?  Why couldn’t the world’s supposedly dominant rugby team make it past the quarterfinals?

They lost because once again they choked.  They couldn’t cope with the loss of Daniel Carter and the overall passion of the French and now they get to watch the rest of the tourney on the tube.

Graham Henry, his coaching staff, and the players who took the pitch in Cardiff are ultimately responsible for the debacle.  Rotation and reconditioning can now be considered totally useless concepts.  Having the best players on the planet prepare for the biggest moment in their lives by playing less rugby has been proven to be an abject failure.  Henry was prepared to reap the rewards of winning so now he has to pay the price for losing so early.  Administrators who gave Henry everything he wanted should also be chastised but probably not fired because so much of the other stuff they’re doing for the game in New Zealand is spot on.

People will still want to watch the All Blacks play rugby but worldwide corporate sponsors might not want to be associated with a virtually guaranteed quadrennial loser.  The All Blacks are the Alex Rodriguez of rugby.  If it seems like I’m piling on, I am.  I’m one of many who were convinced that this time it was going to be different and I’m unhappy that I was made to look foolish by picking them to win it all.  I believed that Henry was in control and all would be well.  Wrong.  

The simple fact is that after months of inactivity the All Blacks were called upon to perform and they couldn’t.  They missed the savvy of Aaron Mauger in the midfield, they suffered from Leon MacDonald’s poor kicking at fullback, and they couldn’t break through the Tricolor’s stout defensive line nearly often enough to secure victory.  But they did a great haka!

Sure, Wayne Barnes was weak.  He actually looked scared out there at times.  He definitely blew the Luke McAlister sinbinning and totally missed the Dominic Traille forward pass but blaming the referee is a cop out.  It should never have been close enough to let him make the difference.  

Hopefully this latest disaster will instill some much needed humility into the entire rugby establishment in New Zealand.  After all, they still have the best players in the world, they just can’t win when it counts!