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Ali Williams: Time for new All Blacks to make their mark

In his first exclusive column for RugbyPass, Ali Williams recalls the first time he was named an All Black and offers congratulations to the new recruits.

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Being named an All Black is a special moment and it affects everyone that has been involved in your rugby career.

I started playing rugby at 16, and everyone around me got invested once I decided to turn my attention towards the sport. When I was first named an All Black I’d only been playing professional rugby for about two years, and when you’re first named everyone who had helped you reach that point are the first ones there to congratulate you. Your 1st XV coaches ring you, your headmaster, your first senior coach, your provincial coach, family and friends. All these people ring you, and it’s a reward for what they’ve done as part of your career.

Leading up to the team being named, there’s all the media and the hype and the speculation but when you’re actually in it, you don’t even look at it. Everyone else looks at it and then tells you about it.

Everyone wants to be named, it’s quite clear, so when it does happen it can come as a major surprise, especially in my case.

I was 20 years old, I’d only played one year of Super Rugby and one year of provincial rugby. At the end of my first year of NPC in 2001, I’d heard rumblings of ‘oh he could be a bolter, he could do this’. My first thought was ‘that’s unrealistic’.

I didn’t make it in that year, they picked some guy named Chris Jack, but the following year I had a good Super Rugby season – I played a little bit but I wasn’t a main starter – and I won the NPC with Auckland. We had a big after-party on Waiheke Island. I’d snuck off to the Portaloo – that’s how we do it in New Zealand, we don’t have proper toilets sometimes – came back and the team for the All Blacks’ End of Year tour had been named.

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There were your regulars, or your guys that were ‘shoulder-tapped’. Before, you didn’t get shoulder-tapped or you didn’t have the communication with the All Black coaches, whereas now it’s a lot more obvious that coaches are looking at you when you’re called in for a camp in the middle of the season. These guys have had about three camps this year – foundation days – so you can get in and around the environment. Back then we didn’t have that.

So, my name gets called out while I’m on the Portaloo, then I came out and all the guys were giving me a bit of grief, ‘Oh yeah, you’re in the All Blacks,’ you think it’s all just tongue-in-cheek. Reality only set in when my coach, Wayne Pivac, came up to me and said ‘Look mate, genuinely, you’re in there, you’ve got to assemble tomorrow’. A few weeks later I made my test debut against England.

Being named will always remain very special for a lot of people. It doesn’t matter if it’s your first naming or your tenth. We would still text each other – Richie, Dan, myself, Andrew Hore, Tony Woodcock, Keven Mealamu – we’d just text each other a ‘well done mate’.

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There was still that real sense of ‘I’ve made it’, because within the team we created an attitude that nothing was given, and you can’t take anything for granted. The coaches would reiterate that.

After being named there would be some very happy families, happy kids, all happy for these men that have put in the hard work. At the end of the day only they know what they’ve put in. Jordan Taufua is a prime example. He’s been there or thereabouts for probably five or six years now. A guy that’s put his body on the line, mentally invested into going somewhere with rugby.

I’ve played with the kid and he is very energetic. He physically wanted to dominate. Someone like that would just be over the moon, and now it gets even more exciting as he looks towards the challenges ahead of him and gets his opportunity to show what he can do at the next level.

As for Te Toiroa Tahuriorangi, he has done very well in being named. I actually met one of his cousins and they were having a big congratulations ceremony, so you could see the cultural aspect coming into it there.

It’s still a very sacred moment for a lot of people, new and seasoned All Blacks so congratulations to all of them. They’re part of the club now.

As I say, sometimes the easy part is getting in, the hard part is doing something when you’re in there. There’s no point in just wearing the jersey, you’ve got to leave it in a better state than when you received it. The challenge is there, this new group is taking it further than we did, constantly evolving, and I’m excited to see what the three new All Blacks can add to the team.

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Oh no, not him again? 2 hours ago
England internationals disagree on final play execution vs All Blacks

Okay, so we blew it big time on Saturday. So rather than repeating what most people have all ready said, what do I want to see from Borthwick going forward?


Let's keep Marcus Smith on the pitch if he's fit and playing well. I was really pleased with his goal kicking. It used to be his weakness. I feel sympathy for George Ford who hadn't kicked all match and then had a kick to win the game. You hear pundits and commentators commend kickers who have come off the bench and pulled that off. Its not easy. If Steve B continues to substitute players with no clear reason then he is going to get criticised.


On paper I thought England would beat NZ if they played to their potential and didn't show NZ too much respect. Okay, the off the ball tackles certainly stopped England scoring tries, but I would have liked to see more smashing over gainlines and less kicking for position. Yes, I also know it's the Springbok endorsed world cup double winning formula but the Kiwi defence isn't the Bok defence, is it. If you have the power to put Smith on the front foot then why muzzle him? I guess what I'm saying is back, yourself. Why give the momentum to a team like NZ? Why feed the beast? Don't give the ball to NZ. Well d'uh.


Our scrum is a long term weakness. If you are going to play Itoje then he needs an ogre next door and a decent front row. Where is our third world class lock? Where are are realible front row bench replacements? The England scrum has been flakey for a while now. It blows hot and cold. Our front five bench is not world class.


On the positive side I love our starting backrow right now. I'd like to see them stick together through to the next world cup.


Anyway, there is always another Saturday.

7 Go to comments
C
CO 2 hours ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

Robertson is more a manager of coaches than a coach so it comes down to intent of outcomes at a high level. I like his intent, I like the fact his Allblacks are really driving the outcomes however as he's pointed out the high error rates are not test level and their control of the game is driving both wins and losses. England didn't have to play a lot of rugby, they made far fewer mistakes and were extremely unlucky not to win.


In fact the English team were very early in their season and should've been comfortably beaten by an Allblacks team that had played multiple tests together.


Razor has himself recognised that to be the best they'll have to sort out the crisis levels of mistakes that have really increased since the first two tests against England.


Early tackles were a classic example of hyper enthusiasm to not give an inch, that passion that Razor has achieved is going to be formidable once the unforced errors are eliminated.


That's his secret, he's already rebuilt the passion and that's the most important aspect, its inevitable that he'll now eradicate the unforced errors. When that happens a fellow tier one nation is going to get thrashed. I don't think it will be until 2025 though.


The Allblacks will lose both tests against Ireland and France if they play high error rates rugby like they did against England.


To get the unforced errors under control he's going to be needing to handover the number eight role to Sititi and reset expectations of what loose forwards do. Establish a clear distinction with a large, swarthy lineout jumper at six that is a feared runner and dominant tackler and a turnover specialist at seven that is abrasive in contact. He'll then need to build depth behind the three starters and ruthlessly select for that group to be peaking in 2027 in hit Australian conditions on firm, dry grounds.


It's going to help him that Savea is shifting to the worst super rugby franchise where he's going to struggle behind a beaten pack every week.


The under performing loose forward trio is the key driver of the high error rates and unacceptable turn overs due to awol link work. Sititi is looking like he's superman compared to his openside and eight.


At this late stage in the season they shouldn't be operating with just the one outstanding loose forward out of four selected for the English test. That's an abject failure but I think Robertson's sacrificing link quality on purpose to build passion amongst the junior Allblacks as they see the reverential treatment the old warhorses are receiving for their long term hard graft.


It's unfortunately losing test matches and making what should be comfortable wins into nail biters but it's early in the world cup cycle so perhaps it's a sacrifice worth making.


However if this was F1 then Sam Cane would be Riccardo and Ardie would be heading into Perez territory so the loose forwards desperately need revitalisation through a rebuild over the next season to complement the formidable tight five.

28 Go to comments
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