Former All Blacks captain Sean Fitzpatrick has hit out at accusations New Zealand have a habit of peaking too early for the World Cup.
Former captain rejects claims the All Blacks peak too early
Former All Blacks captain Sean Fitzpatrick has hit out at accusations New Zealand have a habit of peaking too early for the World Cup.
The All Blacks have been tagged as chokers after failing to lift the Webb Ellis Trophy since the inaugural World Cup in 1987 despite entering the tournament as the favourites on a number of occasions.
Their latest failure came in 2007 when they suffered a shock defeat to France in the quarter-finals despite having been ranked as the world's leading team and looked every bit like they would go all the way early on in the event.
Fitzpatrick, though, denies that the side have a habit of peaking too early but admits he has been impressed with the side's build up this time around.
"This thing about timing and teams peaking is the most pathetic theory. I mean how do you peak, you know?" Fitzpatrick told
skysports.com.
"The All Blacks have lost games at vital stages and the 2007 World Cup was a classic example of where they were trying to prepare two teams. They weren't mentally tough to handle the situations and it wasn't to do with peaking too early.
"I think this time they have got things right, though. They are virtually playing the best players week in week out, developing combinations, developing experience and introducing some youth which is really important."
With New Zealand's last - and only - success having come on their own patch, expectations are at fever pitch for them to repeat the feat 24 years on.
But instead of affecting the squad, Fitzpatrick believes that the players can thrive under the pressure.
Fear of failure
"I hope there is heaps of pressure on the team. As All Black we have built our success on that fear of failure and long may it continue," said Fitzpatrick.
"Of course they will be under pressure, they are under pressure every time they pull on the All Blacks jersey.
"They were under pressure in Hong Kong and lost a match to Australia they shouldn't have lost, they were under pressure against England and they will be under pressure again against Scotland. It is an old cliché but the next match is always the most important."
Fitzpatrick, who is now a director of the International Rugby Academy, believes that only a handful of sides other than the All Blacks can be classed as serious contenders to win World Cup.
"Realistically there are only three or four teams realistically that could win the World Cup at the moment," he said.
"There's Australia, South Africa, who have had a pretty horrendous time with injuries and have rested a lot of key players so they will be pretty fresh for next year...
"England are not far away from getting it right but they need to get a win on Saturday against Australia to back up there performance against the All Blacks.
"You could throw France in there too. And outside those, Ireland but they perhaps are getting a bit long in the tooth and haven't performed on the big stage, while Argentina were third last time out."
Sean Fitzpatrick was talking to skysports.com at the Rugby Expo 2010 event in London
