The All Blacks hold a special place in sport, even for those of us who know little about rugby. This is a great article and Fat Buddha's right about New Zealandars: crazy as a bunch of loons but you'd never want to miss the chance to have a pint!
As far as some ABs pushing the edge, or living dangerously close to it, the writer misses a critical point that one of the most ruthless aspects of the team is its selection policy. If a player goes for a ball or a tackle half-heartedly, it's not unusual to see that player get benched and lose his position on the team, maybe never to return. The selectors are ruthless. If a player wants to stay on the team, he is expected to go for a ball with full commitment, and sometimes that means elbows and knees smash into opponents faces going for the loose ball. It's also true that there are many first-class former All Blacks that could still be on the team (Troy Flavell, I'm thinking of you) that haven't been in the selection process the past few years because of bad disciplinary record and reputation as a thug. (I actually met Flavell in Otttawa after a NZ Maori game, and he was seemed like the friendliest and most harmless player on the field.)
Although some players do get a second chance. I thought Leon Macdonald would never play for the ABs again after his pathetic defensive effort in the 2003 RWC semi final. Australia just walked through him. But, even after a season or two in Japan, he's back in.
Indeed, Red Terror. In fact, any English scribbler wanting to lecture the world on the All Blacks' "reign of thuggery" would do well to explain why their lilly-white national side keeps selecting Danny Grewcock, or why they invested so much effort in defending Simon Shaw in 2004.
