RUGBY:MORE THAN 100,000 supporters crammed the streets to greet the World Cup-winning All Blacks on their motorcade through the centre of Auckland yesterday with the greatest cheers reserved for the captain, Richie McCaw, and the coach, Graham Henry.
It had been 24 years since a New Zealander had taken hold of the Webb Ellis Cup and five failed campaigns since then made Sunday’s ugly one-point victory over France in the final all the sweeter.
Henry is expected to stand down as the All Blacks’s coach after eight years in charge, which followed 42 months as the Wales coach from 1998, but he revealed after the fleet of utes had arrived at the town hall here, just 75 metres from France’s hotel, that he had at least one job left.
“I have been asked to coach the Barbarians in their match against Australia at Twickenham at the end of November,” he said. “I am looking forward to that and afterwards I will be going back to Wales, catching up with old friends and cheering them on against the Wallabies at the Millennium Stadium.
“I have found peace with the All Blacks winning the World Cup, although I have not had a lot of sleep yet. It was marvellous to see so many New Zealanders lining the streets to support the team. The guys did bloody well and played superbly.”
Henry said he did not envisage calling up any All Blacks for the Barbarians. “They have had 14 Tests in 12 months and need a rest,” he said. “I do not think they have an appearance for the Barbarians in them.”
Henry again voiced his support for Martin Johnson, the England team manager, whose position is under review after a World Cup campaign that received more attention for what the players got up to off the field than on it.
“Martin is a top man,” said Henry. “He was my captain when the Lions toured Australia in 2001 and we have phoned each other a few times as coaches. I have a high regard for him. I would imagine that England think continuity is important. You learn a lot from failed campaigns. When you put new people in, they have to start all over again. England kept faith with Clive Woodward in 1999 and they reaped the reward four years later.”
The New Zealand Rugby Union retained Henry and his two assistants, Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith, four years ago despite media calls for them to be sacked after the All Blacks’s worst World Cup campaign. With Smith joining Waikato, Hansen, another former Wales coach, is the favourite to succeed Henry. “I would like to have a crack at the job but we will have to wait and see,” said Hansen. “It is not the right time to talk about it.”
The players and management rode three to a ute in a journey of less than a mile that took more than an hour. Daniel Carter, the outhalf whose groin injury last month seemed to incite a couple of days of national mourning, was one of the passengers. “I always knew the guys could do it,” said Carter, who was appearing in his third World Cup. “To see so many people turn out for us is humbling and overwhelming. It was frustrating to get injured and miss out on the end, but there was nothing I could do about it and what mattered was that we won. I have committed my future to New Zealand by signing a new four-year contract. Whether that means I will be in England for the 2015 World Cup remains to be seen. It is now about enjoying the moment.”
The chairman of the International Rugby Board, Bernard Lapasset, said he expected the World Cup to return to New Zealand in the future, even though it did not generate as much income as the previous two tournaments.
“This has been one of the best tournaments ever,” he said. “The Rugby World Cup does not just exist to make money. We are also here for rugby reasons and they point to coming back here.”
Lapasset said no decision had been made on whether Wales would be allowed to play any of their games in the 2015 World Cup at home, with the Millennium Stadium one of the 12 grounds scheduled for matches by organisers, England. He said: "It is still at the discussion stage and there is no guarantee Wales will play in Cardiff." Guardian Service
