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'They don't give a damn': SBW on the Wallabies during the 'aura' years for All Blacks
By Ben Smith
Former All Black midfielder Sonny Bill Williams played the Wallabies 11 times over his international career, losing just twice during a time when New Zealand held a dominant place in world rugby.
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For most of the 2010s the All Blacks were the number one ranked side and won every tournament and trophy you could think of, including back-to-back Rugby World Cups in 2011 and 2015.
The dual World Cup winner shared his surprise at how confident the Wallabies always were when they faced off as Bledisloe rivals despite the standing that the All Blacks had at that time.
“I always think of the confidence that they showed,” Williams told ex-Wallaby Bernard Foley on Stan Sport.
“We beat them, you could beat them by 40 points the week before, and then you know the next week, they’re going to be up for it.
“They don’t give a damn, you know. Maybe that’s because of the rivalry or I guess ‘hatred’ between the two countries, but I look at it as just pride.”
The former NRL star experienced just two defeats to the Wallabies, one in Sydney in 2015 before that year’s Rugby World Cup, and once in Brisbane in 2017 in a dead rubber third Bledisloe fixture where Israel Folau and Kurtley Beale produced memorable performances.
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In between there were close wins and big wins, with Australia often turning around from a heavy defeat to push the All Blacks to the brink.
Williams most famous play against Australia over his career was not in a Bledisloe fixture, but in the 2015 Rugby World Cup where his offload to Ma’a Nonu set up a crucial try early in the second half.
He also explained the “cocky” All Blacks’ mentality at that time when they still had “aura”, where they looked at opposition teams and believed they would fold against them.
“I always felt like the teams that I played in, we still had that aura around us,” Williams explained.
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“You know, you had to step into that. You had to walk out with your chest puffed out.
“You know what I mean? Like these boys are going to fold. So yes, we always had that, people would say cockiness about us.
“But I felt like in that game, where it’s a game of inches, you had to have that.”
Watch the exclusive reveal-all episode of Walk the Talk with Ardie Savea as he chats to Jim Hamilton about the RWC 2023 experience, life in Japan, playing for the All Blacks and what the future holds. Watch now for free on RugbyPass TV
Teddy me old chum why don't you be a good peasant and piss off back to the bogside.
Me personally? What have YOU achieved? If you simply mean teams, we beat the boks on the biggest stage of all.
Have the syringe boks won anything without playing 10 man rugby and by actually complying with world anti-doping protocols?
Nice being called a peasant by a third worlder.
Answer the question Irish peasant what have you achieved in rugby on the biggest stage of them all, the world cup, sweet f#ck all.
You just wrote that in ENGLISH...
Post-irony.
Face it you Irish peasants will always be under the English boot, it's the best place for you,
Such a wanker 4 world cups under our belt what have you Private school Irish peasants achieved?
Cheers for proving my point. Ruddy good fella.
Christ, I hope there's no apartheid in Dublin 4!!! We'll need racial quotas then for the national team...
I'd take SBW's analysis with a grain of salt; he was a league player who never learned to play rugby, and was used by the All Blacks purely because of his league rep, which mean he was a decoy to attract the opposition's attention. The he decided he was really a boxer.
Most don't consider the work ethic he bought. His commitment to training and being at his 0eak for every game was huge for the team. He also had a huge impact with tge Island players in the team and was their leader. Like it or not there is an heritage divide in the team and he was important in the role he played. He also played his entire career with a bung knee. Some didn't like his perceived arrogance and code swapping but what an athlete and he would walk straight into today's all black team. They desperately need another sbw or nonu.
He has won 2 World Cups, a Super Rugby title, a Ranfurly Shield, a NPC title, and beaten the mighty British & Irish Lions with the Blues...yeah he "never learned to play rugby"....pffffft gtfo with that crap!
Was the standout fixture in professional sport not too long ago.
Shame to see what it's become now. A misfiring ABs will still probably put 40+ points on the wallabies.
I think Australia have been in steady decline since the early 2000s. You would think that having a great team in 2015 and making the final would rejuvenate some interest in the sport in Australia but it seems to have had the opposite effect.
Australia's decline has certainly hurt NZ rugby in the last 5 years or so in particular.
I think Australia need to reduce their SR teams to 3 and consolidate what talent they do have. Australia has great athletes but it's not fun supporting or being a part of a team that hardly ever wins. Rebels and the Force have been a huge negative for rugby in Australia
Teddy as many Saffas say you are such a bore, the AB versus Springboks is the greatest rivalry in rugby and not a bunch of BlackRock schoolboys.