Pressure for the Best

All Black coach Graham Henry has told The Independent that though New Zealand’s national team has a much smaller resource than the majority of countries, this is what makes his job so interesting and stimulating. “The hunger among the players and coaching staff … to succeed … is as deep as ever, that’s for sure. We probably had another team of injuries this year and while that is the way it goes sometimes, hopefully it won’t be the same next year,” Henry said. Henry insists the All Blacks’ targets on their spring tour to the northern hemisphere will be clearly defined. “We want to play some decent rugby. We have some big tests ahead of us and it will be highly competitive. But we want to be proud of the rugby we play, that’s the first thing. Then there is the fact that 2011 is coming up and it’s going to be a very important tour for the players, either to further cement themselves as candidates for the World Cup squad or play their way out of contention. I think the New Zealand media expects top class performances from us every time we go out there. That has got positives and negatives. It puts a lot of pressure on people but the positives far outweigh the negatives. Pressure brings out the best in people.”