#RIPJonah (1975-2015)

Jonah.

Jonah Lomu.

When I first heard Jonah's name 12 years ago as a migrant to New Zealand, all I could think was a Jewish prophet in a whale's belly who ran away from his mission to Nineveh.

Then, I saw the rugby reels and the highlights of that try in 1995 against England - who will ever forget that try and the iconic moment that Keith Quinn sounded like he just had an orgasm - "Lomu, oh, oh".

Then I saw many more of his wonderful tries from his illustrious but unexpectedly short rugby career from his debut as a teenager in 1994 against France to that last test against England at Twickenham in 2002.

Indeed, I knew Jonah more for his issues with his kidneys in his latter years. In fact, I have seen Jonah in the face, going with his ordinary life at Les Mills on Taranaki Street.

At the time, I thought he was just some big Pacific Island dude who was the size of Jonah Lomu - probably due to his age, I didn't actually put two in two together and realise that it was the man himself who I saw working out on the shoulder machine.

Funnily enough, I saw another All Black, his former teammate, the late Jerry Collins at the gym around the same time although I did recognise Jerry and talked to him.

Jonah Lomu was rugby's first superstar of the new professional age and without him, we wouldn't have the likes of Julian Savea, etc. who probably all grew up playing Jonah Lomu Rugby on their Playstations wanting to be the next big All Black winger.

In my opinion, Jonah Lomu wasn't the best winger of all time in terms of complete package of skills - Julian Savea and Bryan Habana have him there.

But in terms of impact and charisma on the field, he is the greatest of them all and no player will ever match the same way Jonah carried himself on the field.

Jonah Tali Lomu, you will be genuinely missed.

RIP Jonah 1975 - 2015.

2019 Rugby World Cup Winning All Blacks?

The All Blacks have finally achieved their goal and won the Rugby World Cup a record 3 times and in doing so, have emulated Brazil's achievements in the football World Cup and taking the title of the number one country in the sport.

The goal for 2019 will be to make it 3 titles in a row and a 4th World Cup win that would put the ABs well ahead of their rivals and cement New Zealand's place as undoubtedly the best rugby nation on the planet.

While it's too early to contemplate what the side would look like when the tournament rolls over to Japan, here's a bit of fun and games at tipping the All Blacks 23 for that Final in Yokohama.

1.       Joe Moody

2.       Dane Coles

3.       Charlie Faumuina

4.       Brodie Retallick

5.       Sam Whitelock

6.       Ardie Savea

7.       Sam Cane (captain)

8.       Akira Ioane

9.       Aaron Smith

10.   Beauden Barrett

11.   Julian Savea

12.   Malakai Fekitoa

13.   Ben Smith

14.   Waisake Naholo

15.   Nehe Milner-Skudder

16. Codie Taylor

17. Nepo Laulala

18. Jeffrey Toomaga-Allen

19. Luke Romano

20. Brad Shields

21. TJ Perenara

22. Damian McKenzie

23. Anton Lienert-Brown

Notes -
- Ben Smith moves to centre to allow Milner-Skudder, Naholo and Savea to play in a move not dissimilar to that of Tana Umaga's.
- Steve Hansen and then Ian Foster will consider playing pace on both sides with Savea on one flank and Cane on the other.
- Anton Lienert-Brown plays centre and wing and would enable to Damian McKenzie to come onto the bench as first five/fullback cover (Barrett clone). 

Review of the 2015 Rugby World Cup

The 2015 Rugby World Cup will go down as the best ever edition; such was the quality of drama and rugby that the next edition in Japan will have much work to do to match.  

Here's a look back at the World Cup that has been, starting with the team of the tournament. 

Team of The Tournament - 

Fullback – Ben Smith (NZ) 

An outstanding tournament for the Otago and Highlanders fullback who only blotted in his copybook close to the end with a justified yellow card for a spear tackle that threatened to ruin his teammates' fairytale ending. From such unlikely beginnings, Ben from accounts should now be rightfully considered one of our best ever fullbacks. 

Honorable mention should go to Argentina's Santiago Cordero who lit up a previously unheralded backline. 

Right Winger – Nehe Milner-Skudder (NZ)

The most consistent winger of the tournament - outstanding from start to finish. Hard to believe that the Manawatu flyer who was born at a pit stop in Taihape on the way to his home in Palmerston North, only really emerged this year after a stellar Super Rugby campaign for the Hurricanes. No longer a star in the making; Milner-Skudder's star is already shining brightly. 

Honorable mention should go to South Africa's JP Pietersen who enjoyed an Indian summer of a tournament 

Left Winger - Julian Savea (NZ)

Questions were raised about Julian Savea's form going into this World Cup after a run of tryless games. Savea ended that drought against Namibia and continued to fire, peaking with a memorable hat-trick against France which included the individual try of the tournament. While the semifinal and Final were quiet for Savea on the try-scoring front, there was no disputing his industry as he caused havoc down the left flank. 

Honorable mention should go to Argentina's Juan Imhoff who showed that Pumas really can have wings.  

Centres – Ma’a Nonu (NZ), Sonny Bill Williams (NZ)

I decided to put both centres together given that Nonu shone playing both inside and outside centre, and SBW's impact off the bench was just too much to ignore. It's hard to believe that this is Nonu's 12th year in black - he could play another 12 with this form. This tournament marked him out ahead of his idol, Tana Umaga and his predecessors, as the best centre in All Blacks history. SBW brought league handling skills to a tournament already overflowing with sublime skills and shut down haters after a quiet Super Rugby campaign. 

Honorable mention should go to South Africa's Damian de Allende who might have sent Jean de Villiers into retirement and the other All Blacks centre, Conrad Smith who is solid and dependable as always - the other half of the greatest centre partnership in All Blacks history. 

First Five – Dan Carter (NZ)

Finally a World Cup to savour for the finest first five ever in history and boy did he deliver particularly in a World Cup Final that will be his signature game and not dissimilar to Pele's performance in the 1970 World Cup Final. Will leave the game as a true great of the game. 

Honorable mention should go to Argentina's Nicolas Sanchez who finished top points scorer of the tournament and was key to the arrival of Los Pumas as rugby superpower.

Halfback – Greig Laidlaw (SCO)

There were quite a few good halfbacks in this tournament including New Zealand's dynamic Aaron Smith and Australia's enigmatic Will Genia but Scotland's Greig Laidlaw takes my cap for leadership and charisma. His goalkicking kept Scotland in the contest against Argentina and it was his brave decision to go for the try rather than the posts against Samoa that sealed their place in the quarterfinals ahead of the Brave Blossoms. 

No. 8 – David Pocock (AU)

One of the stories of this remarkable Rugby World Cup - from career ending injury to heart and soul of the team, David Pocock's story is one of the great comeback stories in world sport and deserved a fairytale ending. Alas, Pocock's bloodied face will go down as one of the iconic images of this World Cup - souvenirs from his industry at the breakdowns. 

Openside Flanker – Richie McCaw (NZ)

Need I say more. Even in the last days of his rugby career, McCaw was an enigmatic as he was in his first test against Ireland in 2001. The All Blacks have had some fine openside flankers but McCaw is now surely the greatest of them all. On the night of nights, he outshone David Pocock, one of the most influential players of any tournament. 

Blindside Flanker – Jerome Kaino (NZ)

A close call between big Jerome and Australia's Scott Fardy, but Jerome just about takes it on the basis of his performance in the Final. Kaino showed his best from 2011 and was a menace with or without ball in hand. After two World Cups and a shoulder reconstruction, this might very well be his bow from All Blacks rugby too.

Locks – Brodie Retallick (NZ), Sam Whitelock (NZ)

The best locking partnership in All Blacks history. Retallick and Whitelock were immense in the lineouts, stealing lineout after lineout in the semifinals and Final. They were fearsome in the loose too. 

Honorable mention should go to South Africa's Lood de Jaager and Eben Etzebeth who in time could match Retallick and Whitelock and their predecessors Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha as a lineout partnership to fear.

Tighthead Prop – Ramiro Herrera (ARG)

Argentina's scrum was the best at this World Cup and Herrera was one of the reasons why. He caused the experienced Tony Woodcock plenty of problems when Los Pumas played the All Blacks first up at Wembley and only got better after that. 

Hooker – Dane Coles (NZ)

While this World Cup saw two hookers made for outstanding captains, i.e. Stephen Moore and Gus Creevy, my pick for hooker goes to Dane Coles who must surely be the fastest and most athletic hooker in world history. Most importantly, Coles never through a crooked lineout throw during this tournament and was solid in the scrums.   

Loosehead Prop – Marcos Ayerza (ARG)

The other pillar of a dominant Pumas scrum and gave his opposing tightheads nightmares in ensuing nights. 

Honorable mention should go to Joe Moody who transformed from NPC player to world champion in the space of two weeks. His form ensured that Wyatt Crockett's injury was a mere footnote. 

Individual Try of the Tournament - Julian Savea v France 

You could watch this try over and over again. It was very much like Jonah Lomu against England. Indeed you could say Savea's try was better as he took out two more players. The iconic All Blacks try of the tournament. 

Team Try of the Tournament - Fiji v Uruguay

Pure counterattacking brilliance. A shame that Fiji were put in such a tough pool - the only blot on a brilliant World Cup.

Moment of the Tournament - Karne Hesketh's try for Japan v South Africa

What more can you say. Winning try that sealed the greatest upset in World Cup history and the most important in Japanese rugby's history. Roll on 2019!

    

Post RWC Thoughts on the All Blacks

There’s so much to say about Steve Hansen’s band of marvellous All Blacks so I will just gather them in an essay that will lack structure and is just a gathering of random thoughts after a memorable Sunday morning.

Firstly, well done to Richie’s boys who in my opinion, had were under just as much pressure to win this World Cup as they did with the last when we were hosting the tournament.

In 2011, losing our home World Cup Final to France would have been a calamity on a level that Brazilian fans would be familiar with in the wake of their 7-1 drubbing to Germany in their World Cup semifinal in 2014.

In 2015, there were a multitude of pressures on Richie’s side to win this World Cup Final – last hoorah for the captain and 5 other players, underlining their status as the world number 1 side of the last 4 years; something that many ABs sides had failed to do since the World Cup started in 1987, breaking the hoodoo of not winning a World Cup outside NZ, etc.

Alas, if there is one thing the 2015 Rugby World Cup All Blacks will be remembered for, it’ll be for breaking hexes like never before – it was just apt that the Final had to be played on Halloween.

The day itself had not been kind to the ABs in the past having suffered their most infamous losses to Llanelli in 1972, Munster in 1978 and France in that semifinal in 1999.

But after exorcising the demons of defeats to Les Bleus with a thumping win over France two weeks ago, and then conquering the Springboks a week later in a clash that the ABs would have lost in the past, it felt like this was the time for all hexes to be vanquished for all time against a side that had the most hexes on the ABs.

The Wallabies had never lost at Twickenham in a World Cup, never lost a World Cup match in the United Kingdom and were 2-1 up on the All Blacks in World Cup matches. And then there’s the fact that the big brothers in the West Island had the edge in World Cups over their little brothers – remember the cricket and netball World Cup Finals earlier this year?

Just as the ABs did against the French in Cardiff, the All Blacks brushed aside past defeats and hoodoos with a dominant display against a very good and spirited Wallabies side. Indeed, the only way the Wallabies were ever going to match the All Blacks was when the ABs were a man down.

Kuridrani’s late try was eerily similar to Thierry Dusautoir’s barrels against the ABs and given history, many ABs fans were probably worried that history was about to repeat itself.

But the All Blacks were out to make history and Dan Carter, relishing the World Cup Final appearance that his career and talent deserved, set the record straight with his 2^nd drop goal in as many weeks and a massive penalty goal to take the game away from the Wallabies. Beauden Barrett’s solo try was the icing on a cake that the All Blacks deserved to have.

This is one of the great All Blacks sides – it is difficult to say if it is the greatest given the changes and evolution of the game, although certainly in the professional era, this All Blacks side would win the gong for greatest side ever.

Only Fred Allen’s All Blacks of the 1960s have captured the imagination of world rugby in the same way this side have done with their mixture of greats and youth.

It’ll be interesting to see how the ABs will now go without Carter, Nonu, Smith, Mealamu, Woodcock and as expected, McCaw. Winning the triple peat in Yokohama in 2019 without them would be probably a much bigger achievement than winning in 2011 and 2015 – such consistency at a high level has never been achieved in any sport, let alone in the Rugby World Cup.

Yet with the talent of Barrett, Fekitoa and Milner-Skudder coming through, along with plenty still to come through provincial rugby and the academy in the likes of Ardie Savea, Akira Ioane, etc., the future is just as bright as it is now, even if the new guys might not have the same calibre as McCaw and Carter.

But that’s another 4 years away. For now, let’s savour a very fine team and the end of the most glorious careers in New Zealand sport.