Kolisi's Boks second to McCaw's maestros

07/25/2024 11:52 AM

Siya Kolisi’s Springboks can make an argument for being the best World Cup team, but the title of the greatest professional team goes to Richie McCaw’s mighty All Blacks, writes MARK KEOHANE.

Writing for TimesLive, Keohane says the McCaw-captained All Blacks that won the 2011 and 2015 World Cups is the greatest team since rugby went professional in 1996.

Keohane says that while Kolisi’s two-time World Cup-winning Boks have impressed with 33 wins from 46 Tests since the opening round of the 2019 World Cup to the final of the 2023 World Cup, they are no match for the record set by McCaw’s All Blacks.

During his time as captain, McCaw lost only 15 Tests out of 148 (10%) and lost just two out of 61 in New Zealand in his glittering 15-year career.

“Siya Kolisi's World Cup winners of 2019 and 2023 are second to McCaw's maestros because in between World Cups, they could not transfer the World Cup winning mentality into a ruthlessness of sustained dominance,” writes Keohane.

“Nothing compares, in absolute dominance, to those All Blacks who won back-to-back World Cups in 2011 and 2015. Nothing also compares to McCaw, as the Commander-in-Chief and Carter as his General.

“What defined the McCaw/Carter All Blacks is that it didn't matter where they played or who they played, they invariably won.”

Photo: Gallo Images

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