The 2005 season was a black one for world rugby: All Black.
New Zealand’s famous All Blacks reaffirmed their pre-eminence on the 15-a-side code’s pecking order in the manner and location in which their supremacy began 100 years ago.
On a tour to Britain and Ireland that commemorated their first visit in 1905, New Zealand defeated the four home unions to complete their second grand slam and bring down the curtain on a season of achievement.
Behind them were strewn 11 wins from 12 Tests, a record that allowed New Zealand to win the Tri-Nations and retain the Bledisloe Cup, whitewash the British and Irish Lions, and sweep the home unions for the first time since 1978.
Even more, the All Blacks managed in November to beat Wales with one Test line-up and then to beat Ireland a week later with a completely different XV, leading commentators to observe that New Zealand now have the first and second best teams in the world.
As Australian rugby declined, as South Africa and France trod water, and as World Cup-holders England made only a little progress, New Zealand stood unopposed at the top of the game.
As if to formalise that standing, the International Rugby Board (IRB), at its annual awards ceremony in November, named the All Blacks the team of the year, Graham Henry coach of the year and flyhalf Daniel Carter player of the year.
Carter was undoubtedly the All Blacks’ player of the season, a goal-kicking flyhalf of exquisite talent, but it was an indication of the strength Henry developed that the All Blacks won the Tri-Nations Tests without him, won the third Test against the Lions in his absence, and won two of four Tests in Britain with other flyhalves.
New Zealand used almost 40 players this season, from their 91-0 win over Fiji in June to their 29-10 win over Scotland in November, but none of those selections was frivolous or expedient.
Henry and co-coaches Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith managed to achieve their competitive goals while substantially developing New Zealand’s talent base ahead of the 2007 World Cup. Their aim was to give the All Blacks two Test-quality players in every position, and their performance in Britain, in playing changed 15s in consecutive matches, showed that had been achieved.
That gave New Zealand cause, for different reasons, to look forward to the next two World Cups: to France, where they will attempt to win the William Webb Ellis Trophy for the first time in 20 years, and to 2011, when they will host the quadrennial tournament for the second time.
The IRB’s November 17 decision to award the 2011 World Cup to New Zealand surprised observers who were confident Japan’s bid would succeed. South Africa dropped out after the first round of voting and New Zealand overtook Japan when South Africa’s supporters transferred their votes to the Kiwi bid.
Japan blamed rugby’s ”old boys” network, but subsequent reports suggested New Zealand, learning from its loss of 2003 sub-hosting rights, prepared a bid that was thorough and meticulous.
The clash of the All Blacks and British and Irish Lions was cast as the biggest series in rugby between world cups, but largely failed to live up to that billing.
As England’s 2003 World Cup victory began to pass into history its principals, notably coach Clive Woodward, were keen to prove the continued supremacy of northern-hemisphere rugby over southern.
Woodward assembled a 45-man touring party with an overwhelming England flavour, disregarding Wales’s Six Nations victory, and appended to it an unwieldy entourage of coaches, support staff and media minders.
As the squad left Britain, Woodward said he had ”a simple message” for the All Blacks.
”This is the best prepared tour in the Lions’ history,” he said. ”I know from my time with the squad that we have the makings of a great Test team.”
Woodward’s confidence proved unfounded and his squad staggered under its own weight, borne down by errors of selection and management. New Zealand won the Tests 21-3, 48-18 and 38-19.
An injury to Lions captain Brian O’Driscoll in the first minute of the first Test harmed the tourists and returned to add controversy to the All Blacks’ grand-slam tour. O’Driscoll dislocated his shoulder when tackled off the ball by New Zealand captain Tana Umaga and hooker Keven Mealamu.
Wins by 41-3 over Wales, 45-7 over Ireland, 23-19 over England and 29-10 over Scotland clinched the grand slam and partly rehabilitated Umaga and the All Blacks in the eyes of British and Irish fans.
Australia toured Europe in the shadow of the All Blacks and in the midst of a seven-game losing streak, their worst in 30 years. A win over Ireland straddled losses to France, England and Wales, costing coach Eddie Jones his job and casting doubt on the future of captain George Gregan.
Gregan played his 118th Test to become the most-capped player in history, but his poor form and Australia’s took lustre from the achievement.
South Africa were the only team to beat the All Blacks in 2005, winning 22-16 in Cape Town, but the Springboks’ resurgence wavered late in the season when they lost to France. France’s wins over Australia and South Africa after a moderate Six Nations boosted their world standing.
Wales won the Six Nations for the first time in 27 years, beating England 11-9, Italy 38-8, France 24-18, Scotland 46-22 and Ireland 32-20. The success bolstered the game in a stronghold beaten down by professionalism and social change.
England, who had fallen away from World Cup glory, showed signs of revival with a narrow loss to the All Blacks and a 40-3 win over Samoa. Wasps won the Guinness Premiership, beating Leicester in the final, while glamour club Harlequins succumbed to relegation.
The Canterbury Crusaders won the Super 12 for the fifth time in 10 years and for the last time before its expansion to 14 teams.
Off the field, the IRB moved to strengthen rugby’s global base by sharing millions of dollars among second-tier nations.
Beneficiaries Samoa and Fiji qualified for the 2007 World Cup, but struggled along with Tonga on end-of-year tours to Europe. — Sapa-AP