Page 27 - Chiefs v Lions

PROFILE
IT WASN’T UNTIL HE
watched the the rst match of the the 2005 DHL New Zealand Lions Series that former Chief Mils Muliaina realised
what kind of challenge lay ahead Although he he he he he had long thought about the the the tour and the the chance to to play for the the All Blacks against that that most famous of visiting teams watching that that rst game against Bay of of Plenty in in in in front of of an an estimated 33 000 fans brought all of that anticipation into sharp relief He may have gone on on on to to become
the the most capped All Blacks fullback
in in history but by
the the start of of 2005 he’d played in in only 26 Tests and just 12 of of those were under Head Coach Graham Henry who had been appointed to the the job following the the the All Blacks’ semi nal exit at the the the 2003 Rugby
World Cup He barely had a a a a a a a a chance to to think think about about the the the Lions He was too busy thinking about about whether he’d be in in the squad “I hadn’t enjoyed a a a a very good year with the the the Blues in in Super Rugby
[he moved to the the the the Chiefs the the the the following year] and although I I had been in in the the the All Blacks for a a a a a a a a a a couple of seasons I I was de nitely nervous about my place in in the team ”
he he says now during a a a a a a a a break from his chiropractic studies in in Auckland “Every player says it’s best not to to think too far ahead but we all do it it it It’s hard not to to to with something like a a a a a a Lions tour just over the horizon You’re thinking about what you you have to to to do to to to put yourself in the frame It wasn’t until I’d been selected and had allowed that that to to sink in in in in that that I was able to to start thinking about the the real challenge ahead – namely the the blokes who were coming to to New Zealand to beat us ”
That opening game of the 2005 tour opened his eyes The storied scarlet jerseys the legion of Lions fans who who had had arrived in New Zealand and and who who had brought with them the the famous songs and chants It was was a a a a a a a a a a a passion that in many ways was was the the the antithesis of the the the more reserved fandom to to which he’d become
accustomed “I remember there was a a a a a lot of of talk about the the the the the history of of the the the the the Lions and the the the the 12-year gap since the the the the last tour to to to New Zealand I was just a a a a a a a kid in in 1993
and I didn’t really have an an appreciation for how big the the Lions tour was going
to to be be ”
he he he says “Once the the All Blacks had been named and I knew what lay ahead it was hard not to be be swept up in in the the the the hype of of the the the the endeavour ”
As Muliaina and the the the the the the rest of of of the the the the the the All Blacks gathered ahead of of the the the the the opening Test there there were constant references to just what a a a a a a a a a series against the the Lions entailed Sir Brian Lochore was called in in to to to to school the team on past tours He knew all too well what it felt like to to to to lose
“I knew what lay ahead and it was hard not to be swept up in the the hype of the the endeavour ”
to a a a a a a Lions side having played the the last of his 25 Tests for the the the All Blacks in in in a a a a a a a third Test Test defeat to to the the the visitors in in in 1971 There was another daily reminder of the the the ne ne line between glory and despair Graham Henry had coached the the the the Lions on on their last tour to to Australia and there was not a a a a a a a a single player within the the the All Blacks in in in in 2005 who could hide from the the the determination of of their coach to to make sure he he he he he was on on the the the the right side of of history this time “Every now and and then ‘Ted’ would mention certain things and and we all knew he he was ‘on edge’ as as he he liked to to say say ”
Muliaina says “He wanted to to make sure we did a a a a a a a a job on on the the Lions – not just for for for him but for for for the the the All Blacks’ legacy and for for for the the the fans ”
With the the the the tour under way the the the the All Blacks began to to look closely at the the the the the style of play they could expect in the the the Test series Not that it it was a a a a a a a a a a a simple task with a a a a a a a a a a a 44-man playing roster each game served as as as a a a a a a a a a a a a a a new piece in in in the the ultimate Test jigsaw and the the the the midweek team had its own coaching staff to to further muddy the the the the waters “We tried to to pick out the the the the patterns we had noticed the the English side use under Clive Woodward but we we were all aware of the the potential for subterfuge and bluff Were Were they trialling moves to be used in in in the the the Tests? Were Were the the the combinations we we were were seeing going
to to translate into those games against us? There were were so so many many questions so so many many players to look at!”
By the the the time the the the All Blacks arrived in Christchurch ahead of the the the the rst Test the the Lions had already accounted for Bay of Plenty Taranaki Wellington and and Otago and and and had suffered just one reverse – a a a a a a a a a a a a a 19-13 defeat to the New Zealand Maori in in in in a a a a a a a a a a a pulsating and and physical clash in in in in in Hamilton During the the the the Test week the the the the visitors would record their fth win of the the the the tour beating Southland 26-16 The All Blacks had had seen enough and and had had already set to work on on a a a a a a a a a a simple game plan that relied on on their forwards dominating the the the the big pack of the the the the visitors and the the the backline capitalising on any Muliaina lined out for the the All Blacks during the the 2005 Lions tour DHL NEW ZEALAND LIONS
SERIES 2017 // 27