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It is 20 years since the All Blacks suffered their worst run in history of losing five consecutive tests. LYNN MCCONNELL looks back at what was an amazingly difficult period for the national team.
The All Blacks wanted to claim a coveted Grand Slam in 1978, but having scraped past Ireland they were in grave danger of losing to Wales. That was until an extraordinary event won them a late penalty
An already fraught and tense build up to the opening Bledisloe Cup test of 2016 took a sinister twist when it was revealed the All Blacks had found a listening device planted in the team room of their
For reasons Quade Cooper has not yet divulged, he played Richie McCaw off the ball then later in the same game, whacked him on the head deliberately. A few months later he kneed the All Blacks skipper
A naturally quiet and loyal man, Keith Murdoch somehow garnered a reputation for being wild and out of control. It was that wrongful portrayal that perhaps led to him disappearing into the Australian
Michael Jones brought a fascinating twist to the game – he had the physicality and explosive power of a forward, yet the agility, athleticism, speed and skills of a back. He was the total rugby player
Jerry Collins and Schalk Burger were respective enforcers of the All Blacks and Springboks. Between 2003 and 2007 they tried to break each other physically but became firm friends in the process.
In 2006 the All Blacks were accused of being pompous and arrogant when they performed the haka privately ahead of their test with Wales.
French hard man Sebastien Chabal made two huge tackles in June 2007 that earned him global fame and the ire of the All Blacks.
The All Blacks and Springboks were battling out an intense series in 1994 when Johan le Roux lost the plot and bit the ear of Sean Fitzpatrick.
In the first minute of the first test of the 2005 series against the All Blacks, British Lions captain Brian O'Driscoll was tipped on his head and suffered a dislocated shoulder. It was the beginning
In July 1990 Buck Shelford was dropped as captain of the All Blacks. It was a decision that shocked the country and led to conspiracy theories as to why it had happened. WYNNE GRAY reports.
In 1992 All Blacks centre Frank Bunce was lucky to get away with a reckless cleanout at a ruck that forced New South Wales loose forward Michael Brial to leave the field injured. When the two players
There have been players, rules and technology advances that have all changed rugby. But nothing changed it more than the decision to turn the sport professional in September 1995.
Legend has it that rugby emerged dramatically and suddenly as a new code because one man, William Webb Ellis, picked up the ball during a football match at Rugby School and ran with it. This was the
Denied the chance to tour South Africa as All Blacks in 1985, a rebel group, known as the Cavaliers, went to the Republic the following year. LYNN MCCONNELL reports.
