Kieran Read And The Other All Blacks Winning Streak No One Is Talking About

The All Blacks are looking to tie the record for the most consecutive test victories by a tier one nation when they face South Africa in Durban this weekend, but captain Kieran Read already holds a unique record – and it’s one that may surprise you, writes Scotty Stevenson.

The Springboks and All Blacks have shared many of test rugby’s most memorable moments, and the two sides will meet for the 93rd time this weekend in a city that in 1928 hosted the very first test between these nations on South African soil. The All Blacks have played 47 tests in South Africa in total, winning 21, and losing 25. It is the only country in which the All Blacks still have a losing test record.

It is in Durban that they will try to equal the record they share with their most storied opponent. The All Blacks and Springboks are the joint holders of tier one rugby’s consecutive test victory record, which stands at 17. If the All Blacks can defeat South Africa this weekend, they will have a chance to set a new record on October 22nd, against Australia, at Eden Park – a ground they have not lost at since 1994.

All of this makes for great history buff fodder, and rightly so. To go so long without being reversed is something only the best teams can achieve, and being on the cusp of setting a new mark only adds a dollop of flavour to what already shapes as a massive test match. But while we have become hung up on the team achievements, captain Kieran Read has quietly written himself into the record books in a most intriguing way.

No other All Blacks captain has won as many consecutive tests to start their tenure.

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In the 546-test history of the All Blacks, it is remarkable to think there have been just 77 test match captains. Of those 77, just 15 have led the national side in 10 or more tests, and just two have passed the 50-test mark: Sean Fitzpatrick (51) and Richie McCaw (110).

Kieran Read is the 76th All Blacks test captain (Sam Cane became the 77th against Namibia in 2015), having first led the side against Italy in 2012. Since that time Read has gone on to captain the All Blacks in 17 test matches, the 9th most in history, and equal with Andy Dalton who due to injury was sadly robbed of the chance to captain his country at the 1987 Rugby World Cup.

This weekend Read will captain the test side for the 18th time, putting him alongside Sir Brian Lochore as the eighth-most capped All Blacks test captain. On the 22nd of October, should he be fit for selection, he will equal Graham Mourie has the 7th most capped All Blacks test captain.

Dalton, Lochore, Mourie. That is quite some list. On the End of Year tour he will have the chance to go past Tana Umaga (21) and Taine Randell (22). If he captains the side in all four tests on the tour he will finish the year tied with Reuben Thorne as the fourth most capped All Blacks test captain of all time.

All of that is great, but what is amazing about Read’s captaincy is that he has won every test in which he has been in charge, a feat not even Buck Shelford could muster. While Shelford never lost a test, the All Blacks were held to an 18-all draw by Australia in Brisbane in 1988. It was Shelford’s fourth test as captain.

Work your way through the list and you will see how remarkable Read’s run is.

Richie McCaw’s winning streak ended in his 10th test in charge, when the All Blacks were defeated by South Africa in Rustenburg in 2006. Fitzpatrick strung seven wins together before the All Blacks were beaten in Sydney in 1992. Wilson Whineray, whose 30 tests as captain was a long-standing record, tasted his first defeat in just his second test as skipper, when Australia won in Christchurch in 1958.

Reuben Thorne finished his career with a 20-3 record as captain, but his opening streak lasted just six games, coming to an end against Australia in Sydney, 2002. Taine Randell, who led the team through a particularly bleak period and amassed just 12 wins from his 22 tests as captain, was tipped up in his 3rd fixture, by Australia, in Melbourne back in 1998.

Tana Umaga (18-3) was on the wrong end of the scoreboard after six tests as captain, when Australia won in Sydney in 2004. Graham Mourie lost the first of his 19 tests as captain, when France defeated the 1977 tourists in Toulouse. Dalton (15-2) got a solitary win before his first loss, as did David Kirk (9-2), while Andy Leslie drew his second test as captain, against Australia in 1976.

Gary Whetton (12-3) managed two wins before coming unstuck in this third test (also against Australia) while Todd Blackadder (7-3) and Anton Oliver (8-2) set a four- and five-test streak respectively.

And that leaves Sir Brian Lochore, the man Read will match for tests as captain this weekend. Until Read came along, Lochore held the record for the longest winning streak as a new captain. It was not until his 15th test as skipper that the man from Wairarapa Bush tasted defeat, going down to the Springboks in Pretoria in 1970.

Lochore would lead the team to victory the following week in Capetown, but would then lose his final two tests in charge, and the series to the Boks. He never led the side again, and appeared in just one more test, the following year against the British and Irish Lions.

And all of that makes Kieran Read’s captaincy all the more remarkable, and gives the skipper something else to play for this weekend. He already holds the record – how far can he stretch it?