Tri-Nations
Fans turn on beaten All Blacks
2009-08-02 18:31
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Wellington - Passionate New Zealand rugby fans turned on the All Blacks on Sunday after an error-filled performance saw them crumble against the Springboks for a second consecutive week.
Talkback radio shows ran hot with callers rating the All Blacks performance inept and demanding the sacking of Graham Henry and his co-coaches following the 31-19 loss in Durban a week after going down 28-19 in Bloemfontein.
The back-to-back defeats have underlined the South Africans as favourites in this year's Tri-Nations championship and they have also moved ahead of New Zealand at the top of the world rugby rankings.
"That was horrible to watch. Luckily the South African's have no idea how to use the ball else it would have been a 30-point margin," said Keith on the Stuff.co.NZ website.
"How dumb do you really have to be to be an All Black nowadays? The inept coaches might just as well start over with a brand new team," added Kayo.
Rugby Heaven website columnist Marc Hinton said it was "dreadful stuff" from the All Blacks who were the architects of their own doom.
"Too many mistakes; too many bad decisions; too much indiscipline," Hinton said.
"Where were the promised improvements? Where was the response from Bloemfontein's disappointment a week earlier?"
Former All Blacks coach Laurie Mains questioned whether it was time for Henry and his assistants Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith to step down.
He told Radio New Zealand there was a use-by date for every coach and it appeared the All Blacks coaches, now in their sixth year with the side, had run out of ideas on how to get the side back to playing its best rugby.
Former All Blacks prop Richard Loe, in a column written for the Herald on Sunday before the Durban Test, said if New Zealand did not win then it was time to take a hard look at the coaches.
"The current players in the All Blacks are good enough but I repeat: we need a coaching job to be done here - and fast," Loe said, referring to the Bloemfontein loss.
"If the three coaches can't do it, maybe it's time to sever the links."