Less talk, more music for All Blacks
The World Cup Final may well be the biggest moment in New Zealand head coach Graham Henry’s career.
But the man known as ‘Ted’ won’t be found in the All Blacks dressing room on match day offering a last word of inspiration or encouragement to the men he is sending out on the field at Eden Park.
“I don’t talk,” he told a press conference on Friday.
“Seriously. Sunday before they run out on to the field is their time. It has to be their time.
“They’ve got to get their own minds right and settled and on the job and people talking to them at that time is an absolute waste of time. In fact it’s a distraction. Words will be said today and words will be said tomorrow. But I personally don’t believe it’s the right time to talk to teams just before they play.”
While some teams may use the time before kick-off to go over the game plan one last time, or have one last motivational speech, the pre-match mantra for the All Blacks is that less is more.
“Ted doesn’t do a lot of talking,” scrumhalf Piri Weepu said.
“It’s basically our game leaders, the boys on the field who are leading the team around and Richie, if the boys have something to share with the team.
“We don’t really do a lot. It’s just pretty much we do our talking with what we do on the field.”
Weepu’s game day preparation will involve hanging his jersey up in the dressing room where he can see it before slipping his oversized headphones on.
“We made it” by Busta Rhymes is one of Weepu’s favourite tracks.
The song’s lyrics include: “Together we’ve made it. We made it even though we had our backs up against the wall”, which makes it a song particularly fitting for what lies ahead on Sunday.
“It’s just a song that plays in my head because I know without my team I wouldn’t be here and I’m pretty sure they feel the same way.”
Just before he enters the dressing room on Sunday, young All Blacks lock Sam Whitelock will throw a ball up three or four times and catch it above his head, a ritual he’s followed since childhood but which has taken on more meaning since it became his job to catch kick-offs.
Scrumhalf Andy Ellis says the All Blacks backs may go for a coffee and play a game of cards. Some players will walk the streets to soak in the atmosphere around the match while others hide from it, staying in their hotel rooms listening to music or sleeping.
Each will take the route that gets them to the match focused and ready to play.
“Each player’s got their own prep on game day but I would say when everyone’s ready it’s pretty much game time,” he said.
“Everyone does their preparation during the day and before we get on the bus that’s when everyone knows they’re ready.
“Each individual listens to music, some of the boys stretch and others like to read over what things we are doing in the game so they’ve got a good understanding and they can go out there and just play.”
Music plays a large part in most players’ preparation, most using carefully compiled play lists as an aid to motivation. They listen to rap, rhythm and blues, hard rock.
Hooker Keven Mealamu jokes that front row forwards are big lovers of classical music.
“I like to listen to music in the hotel,” fullback Israel Dagg said.
“I always wear my headphones and jam me some sounds. I lie there on my bed and look out the window and kinda pinch myself. I can’t believe it’s here and I try to pinch myself and get ready for the weekend.”
Wing Cory Jane is more laid back.
“I sleep,” he said. “The games are getting later and later so I sleep in late, have a late breakfast or lunch. I’m pretty relaxed.
“There are a lot of guys who lose the plot, guys in the team who really like to focus … like Israel Dagg. He has music on and you just can’t talk to him.
“But I don’t get nervous much any more. I used to a few years ago, I’d be terrible but I’ve relaxed over the years. It’s good to get excited but I don’t have any rituals.”
Jane says he has eclectic musical tastes.
“I just mix it up a little bit,” he said. “I know a few of the boys like hard rock but I don’t listen to that. If a good song comes on, it could be a Britney Spears song but if it feels right in the minute I might play that and just enjoy it.”
AP and RNS
