The build up to the final match in the Invesco Perpetual autumn series didn't come much bigger than facing the number one team in the world, "the mighty All Blacks."
Not only are they number one in the world they are by some stretch at the moment demolishing opposition week after week.
Our working week started on the Monday so we had a good chance on the weekend to catch their game on our day off on the Saturday night. The week before they had demolished a French side at the Stade de France so this week we were expecting big things from our garlic-munching neighbours. However, the big thing never came and the score line probably flattered the French in the end.
The task was laid down to us and everyone turned up Monday morning fully aware of the challenge ahead. Everyone was in good humour and no one seemed tense, the banter was still flying around and there was no place to hide, if the boys saw you do something stupid or mess up the mickey taking started straight away. It was even worse if past Newport player Alan Carter, who is now the union video analyst caught you on tape as you knew you were gonna have it on the big screen and in the player tape the night before the game just ask Stephen Jones who, when leading his country out onto the pitch against Australia (a very proud moment for him) had to break through the Invecso paper seal covering the tunnel to get into the main stadium. Well Steve just about managed to break through the seal but then proceeded to drop the ball and almost fall flat on his face in the same move, the fact made funnier when we realised he had been practising it the day before at the end of the team run!
The week was a lighter training week than previous weeks and the simulated game that was a regular occurrence between us and the national U20's team was knocked on the head in order to keep us all fresh for Saturday's game. Lots of video analysis was being done as a team and as individuals to try and find weaknesses both in the New Zealand attack and defence. The customary press conferences were held and this is where I learned a valuable lesson. The press conference started at 8.20am and Goffey got up at 8.10 and strolled in with pillow marks still on his face, one loaded question later and the outcome was well documented and one-nil to the journalists that morning, and they wonder why most of the time we come out with the standard line!
Anyway the morning of the test match soon came around and as always we had to hang about the hotel when really you just wanted the game to happen. The waiting is a nightmare, but soon enough we meet to have a talk from coach Gareth Jenkins which really gets the butterflies going and then it is onto the bus. A short police escort later and we are at the ground going through our individual routines before the warm up gets started. There was a lot of build up for this game and we came out for the anthems nervous but relishing the task that lay ahead. The anthems were sung loud and proud and as we all lined up to receive the Haka we realised that something was up, after a couple of minutes of confusion we realised that the war dance was on ice, and the first game I have started to a massive chorus of boo's from the crowd.
The game itself was pretty much a blur after being hit with wave after wave of All Black attack; the scoreboard ticked around the wrong way for us and the game was getting further away from us. A second half fight back still couldn't spoil the party for New Zealand as they took Europe by storm. It's now just under a year till the World Cup and the All Blacks have certainly set the standard and it is up to the rest of us to bridge that gap to deny them the golden chalice!!
