Ex-All Black Casey Laulala talks with Sport24

Former All Black Casey Laulala looks on during a Crusaders Super Rugby training session at Rugby Park in Christchurch on July 4, 2018.

• Former All Black center Casey Laulala, who participated in two events for New Zealand, shares his views on the absence of the South African Rugby Championship.
• The Super Rugby winning Crusader, who participated from 2004 to 2009, reveals his toughest South African opponents individually and collectively.
• He also responds to David Campese’s provocative comments about the All Blacks “losing their invincibility aura” and leads Bledisloe two in Auckland.

Sport24 asked: Your opinion on the withdrawal from the South African Rugby Championship?

Casey Laulala: What’s done is done, but it’s sad to see that South Africa won’t play Australia, New Zealand and Argentina because that’s what people live for. South Africa is poised to lose its number one ranking as it is unlikely to play test rugby again until the British and Irish Lions series in 2021. South Africa has already moved away from Super Rugby in favor of an expanded PRO16 series And it all makes sense because when you play in Europe there is no time lag. It’s logical to make that move, but from a traditional point of view, it’s something that hurts a bit because my rugby career consisted of flying to South Africa and Australia and then home. However, today you have to make a business decision and do what’s best for the union. If you keep losing so much money every year, it is not a good business plan. The decision not to compete in this campaign was not made lightly, but I believe South Africa will be part of the Rugby Championship in time. However, for now his absence really hurts because it was a tribal clash every time we faced the Springboks and something we had hoped for since childhood. The decision has already been made and who knows it may be the best for South African rugby. I know for sure that the introduction of more South African teams will be good for Northern Hemisphere rugby because they will bring something that will benefit the competition.

Sport24 asked: How would you summarize your two-round All Black career?

Casey Laulala: Debuting with the All Blacks was a very proud moment for me and my family. I grew up in Samoa and moved to New Zealand. I never thought that (playing for the All Blacks) would happen because going this far and doing it was unexpected. I wish I had played more times for the All Blacks like all New Zealanders do. At the time I was there, I was putting in good performances year after year, but Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith really cemented the center spots. That is why I made the decision to move. It’s great that my brother is playing for the All Blacks now. Nepo is just a beast of a man and has developed in terms of his ability to play ball and how he reads the game. As a props, your main job is the set-piece and if you do it right, you’re halfway there.

Sport24 asked: Who were your toughest South African rivals?

Casey Laulala: The Bulls were definitely my toughest opponent during my time in Super Rugby with the Crusaders. We were competing with them in the 2000s and it was especially difficult to face them in Pretoria at altitude. Back then we were looking forward to the challenge because they brought something really different. They had the physical forwards and the tough running backs. Our tactic was always to take out the leading Bull, the ball carrier, early to try and kill his momentum. Once they gained that momentum, it was very difficult to change course, as they used all their physical attributes to try to dominate the opposition. What we do know is that the South African mentality of playing has always been straightforward. They have also always had big 10s that can kick the ball. From an individual perspective, Jean de Villiers was one of my toughest South African opponents. We had some good battles and he had the attitude of never giving up for himself and for the team. He kept coming and kept coming. Along with his mindset, his skill level and strength were important attributes.

Sport24 asked: Who was your preferred center partner and why?

Casey Laulala: The Super Rugby championships that I won with the Crusaders were with Tim Bateman as my central partner. However, if I were to pick a featured centermate, it would have to be Aaron Mauger. I played both of my test matches for the All Blacks alongside him. When I was playing Aaron, I basically just had to worry about using my footwork to get the team moving forward. I never really had to worry about organizing things and I just had to put myself in a position to use my attributes to try and move the team forward. Aaron also played flyhalf throughout his career so he had a vision of a number 10 and always put me in space. I knew when to throw the pass, which is something I developed later in my own game.

Sport24 asked: Who do you rate as the top hubs today?

Casey Laulala: Damian de Allende and Lukhanyo Am were absolutely incredible at the World Cup. Damian is really stylish. They have been playing very freely. They bring something different with their forward thinking and there was a bit of flair about them too, which is what I love. The main thing is that in the World Cup they were unstoppable. Some of the plays that they played on the short side were impressive and they were putting those little passes together. The change of pace on the outside made a big difference, and as a result, the Springboks scored a lot of attempts. You can see how important the mindset shift was and what you give to the players as a culture is critical. Credit to the coaches for changing the game plan, but the players were also able to adapt and express themselves. The Springboks were able to change their mindset for different games. For the All Blacks, the combination of Jack Goodhue and Anton Leinert-Brown is great. Leinert-Brown is strong on defense and his attacking ability is stellar, while Goodhue is as good as anything else. I would choose them as my All Black center partner, but in the future, if Reiko Ioane gets more time in the 13 jersey and improves her defense, there is no doubt that he would be my number one.

Sport24 asked: Your pick for the World Rugby Player of the Decade?

Casey Laulala: Riche McCaw would get my vote, but it would be between him and Dan Carter. Richie was quiet and driven by action. He didn’t say much and when he did he was straight to the point. He was just something else and had the mentality to move on and always said, “next job, next job.” He appeared in every game and doing what he did for so long with the quality of the performance was impressive. His career was second to none and the award should go to him or Dan in my book. I was lucky enough to play with two players of his generation, but with Richie having been captain and having accomplished so much in his career, it would give him the advantage. He was someone you just wanted to play for and we had a very special group of players back then. For us, winning was everything and we had a culture that drove us to act every week.

Sport24 asked: How did the coach make the transition?

Casey Laulala: The training came about because I was injured in my last year of playing. As a player, I used to do some skills training with the guys and then when I retired I joined and did the training full time. I spent a year training in Toulon and had a great time taking the attack. For two, three months we didn’t lose a game, but then a new coach came along and we had a sequel, which is one of those things. It was going in a different direction than the style I was trying to implement. We decided to separate… I would definitely like to give back to the game as a coach, but at the moment everything is unstable in terms of work. My goal at the moment is to develop my business, but from time to time I work some skills with the guys from the Stade Francais. It keeps me in the game and I love doing it because there is no politics and it is pure rugby. It is about giving back what has given me so much. My family is in New Zealand, so in time I will have to make the decision to return or to be joined in France. But I definitely want to stay in the game and give back because I really love it. But, as you know, it is not always that simple.

Sport24 asked: Your outlook before Bledisloe II at Eden Park?

Casey Laulala: After last week’s 16-16 draw in Wellington, it will be a great match this weekend. I saw David Campese say that he believes “the All Blacks are losing their invincibility aura.” He is a sports legend, so he can say what he wants. Comments like that are good for the game, but as a team you don’t have to bite the hook and bite the rod all the time. I believe that the All Blacks will never lose their aura and it is something that lives within them. It’s about the mindset and everything they do. We have seen many times that the All Blacks do not play well in the first round but are known for their adaptability. New Zealand being New Zealand, once they sniff out an opportunity, they will seize it. After the first test, they will not make the same mistakes and will adapt and make changes. If the weather is nice we will see some attacking rugby but the All Blacks will also look for territory. Very few people know that the team that kicks the most is the All Blacks. Many rugby fans have the perception that the men in black are the most attacking team in the game because every time they attack it is with conviction and they usually score. Hopefully All Blacks coach Ian Foster, who replaced Steve Hansen, will bring something different to the table because the All Blacks are all about innovation and finding ways to improve. That is why the All Blacks have always been ahead of the game. Most teams now employ the same style of rugby, so it’s all about executing and managing your players.

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