Rugby: Former Wallabies assistant John Muggleton believes All Blacks’ success will end if NZR goes national

A former assistant coach for the Wallabies has criticized the All Blacks’ style of play, citing a possible end to their dominance at World Rugby if New Zealand Rugby “goes it alone.”

John Muggleton, who was the Australian defense coach for the better part of a decade and played a pivotal role in their 1999 World Cup victory, has been aware of New Zealand and Australia’s development in the code of 15 mens.

The 60-year-old is currently coaching Penrith in West Sydney in the Shute Shield club competition.

Muggleton told The XV that he would have no problem with NZR concentrating on their domestic game and building from within, as he believes New Zealand plays a generic style.

“New Zealand [today], basically all teams have a way of playing and so do the All Blacks, “he said.” They have a centralized system and they train pretty well the same.

“The whole house of cards will collapse when someone breaks it, you know, when someone breaks what they’re doing. They’re going to break their five Super Rugby teams. [at once]. And they’re also going to break the All Blacks, because the way they play is very, very generic. “

As the old rhetoric goes, this is easier said than done, particularly from an Australian perspective. New Zealand Super Rugby teams have won 17 of the 24 competitions so far, and all five have won at least one title.

On top of that, it has been a long time since the Wallabies have had long and sustained success in the field of international rugby. Since Muggleton’s time with the national team ended in 2008, he has watched from afar as they have fared unsuccessfully at the Bledisloe Cup, falling to their worst world ranking in history, seventh twice, in 2018 and after. of the fourth of the World Cup last year. final departure.

But recent history offers some form of promise. The Australians claimed their biggest win over New Zealand in Perth last year, and the All Blacks’ dominance came to an end after their World Cup semi-final defeat to England.

“If you can, if someone can get in there and break it down, and other people can start copying it, the whole house of cards will collapse. So you know it’s just that we need that person to come out of the forest and find the right players and the system. correct and then the game will resume, “says Muggleton.

The future of Super Rugby will be without South Africa after its governing body chose to transfer the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers to an expanded PRO16 tournament in Europe.

That, coupled with Rugby Australia’s fury at NZR’s hopes of a 2021 Super Rugby competition featuring all five Kiwi teams and just two or four Australians, paints a bleak future at the competition’s exhibition beyond our borders.