Sport | Rugby
'Dallaglio's absence was a key factor'
Newly crowned IRB Coach of the Year Graham Henry was a surprise guest at the traditional pre-Sevens dinner on Tuesday. And the man who has guided New Zealand back to the pinnacle of world rugby was remarkably candid as he reflected on a quite momentous year.
- By Steve Hill, Correspondent
- Published: 23:31 May 3, 2009
Dubai: Newly crowned IRB Coach of the Year Graham Henry was a surprise guest at the traditional pre-Sevens dinner on Tuesday. And the man who has guided New Zealand back to the pinnacle of world rugby was remarkably candid as he reflected on a quite momentous year.
In the past 12 months, the All Blacks have won the Tri Nations and secured only the second Grand Slam in their history. Yet Henry declared that his squad's 3-0 whitewash of the British Lions was the highlight of his year.
He told the audience at Le Meridien Mina Seyahi: "Lions tours are a huge thing for New Zealanders. They only happen every 12 years so our guys had never played them, and we thought they would be hard to beat.
"We prepared for six months, and we mentally and physically wanted to destroy them."
Henry conceded that the loss through injury so early in the tour of Lawrence Dallaglio was a key factor in the outcome of the series. "But they were fairly disappointing," he said. "They did not build for the first Test as they should have. That was a mistake by my old mate Clive (Woodward)."
Yet despite the Lions' shortcomings, Henry added: "It was our major focus for the year and a major achievement for us."
The infamous Brian O'Driscoll incident the Lions captain was invalided out of the tour in the opening minutes of the first Test by a controversial double tackle - could not be ignored.
Henry took the subject matter head on. "It was just an unfortunate incident, one of those things that happen," he said. "Tana (Umaga) and Kevin Mealamu are top people. I don't think there was any intention on their part."
Henry, though, was keen to look to the future, particularly the 2007 World Cup in France. "In our country we need to win or you don't survive," he said.
"We are trying to do our best year in year out and develop two teams. They're both very young and that's in our favour."
Henry, who sat next to Welsh RU chairman David Pickering, looked back on his time coaching in the principality with affection.
"It was a good challenge," said the man who is credited with laying the foundations that helped lead to Wales' Six Nations Grand Slam season. "I turned up not knowing anyone. I didn't know if they were any good ? I just tried to help a bit.
"They were a great bunch of guys and they tried bloody hard."
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