Try and Wow Me Another Trying Time in the Tri Nations? Give Us a Test Series Worth Remembering

THE WORKS Take me on: Springbok Ricky Januarie gives Richie McCaw Sport the eye in Cape Town, 2008. by Richard Becht Try and wow me Another trying time in the Tri Nations? Give us a test series worth remembering. ri Nations time should mean and the Springboks haven’t had another ow connoisseurs must make buckling up and enjoying since, not in the traditional style, yet do with second best, as the Tri the ride. Whether it does is cricket continues to revel in the excesses NNations lacks the key compo- moot these days. a test series can deliver. Look no further nents needed to hoist it up the wow Of course, passion levels than the Ashes, a wonderful advertise- scale. Having a round-robin format with Talways rise when New Zealand engages ment for all that is good – and sometimes no final as a focal point is one thing that with its most familiar rugby union unsavoury – about time-honoured sport- should be reconsidered. rivals. ing fare. It’s instructive that the All Blacks have Though I risk sounding old-fashioned In rugby union, that has all but gone, played 75 internationals against South – or just plain old – by saying this, rugby the evolutionary process dictating that Africa, 33 of them in the past 13 years union is simply not the same and never the Tri Nations should be the high point since the Tri Nations started (and just 42 has been since the Tri Nations emerged of the rugby year in these parts. spread over the first 74 years since the with so many promises about this profes- But not this time. Indeed, the code’s countries first messed with each other in sional beast’s brave new existence. peak has been and gone and it had noth- 1921). And the ABs have met Australia 32 With the exception of the very first year ing to do with the Tri Nations or the All times since 1996. in 1996, that is. At least then there was a Blacks. In short, the mystique of the All Blacks transitional phase combining the best of Instead, it was, wait for it, a true blue tangling with the Wallabies and Spring- the new in the Tri Nations and best of the test series – South Africa against the Lions. boks no longer applies. If anything, win- old in the form of an unforgettable test It had everything and then some: the ning the Bledisloe Cup – the transtasman series between New Zealand and South Springboks sealed the series in the most battle within the overall contest – is of Africa. contentious circumstances in the second greater significance than claiming the Tri Remember what a test series was? And test before the Lions blitzed them in the Nations title. that’s the point, because the All Blacks third to prevent a whitewash. There’s nothing boring about win- ning. The All Blacks have been far supe- Hands full: All Black captain Sean Tri Nations Fitzpatrick with the Tri Nations rior in that department during the Tri and Bledisloe Cup Nations’ brief history, snaring the title winners trophies, 1997. nine times and also compiling the only 1996-2008 positive record of the three countries in terms of wins minus losses (39-17 from Year Winner 56 matches). 1996 New Zealand But success in the Tri Nations era has 1997 New Zealand arguably been of little assistance to the All 1998 South Africa Blacks while immeasurably helping their 1999 New Zealand Southern Hemisphere foes. After all, New 2000 Australia Zealand won the Tri Nations in 1999, 2001 Australia 2003 and 2007 but did no better than 2002 New Zealand make the semi-finals at the Rugby World 2003 New Zealand Cup in 1999 and 2003 and slumped in 2004 South Africa 2005 New Zealand the quarter-finals in 2007. 2006 New Zealand Sit back then for more Tri Nations 2007 New Zealand monotony – and rue the old days long 2008 New Zealand since gone. z GETTY IMAGES Email: [email protected] 52 LISTENER JULY 25 2009.

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