Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Rugby World

    PERFECT PAIRING

    Oct 01, 2019 6 minutes
    Words Gregor Paul/NZ Rugby World
    Main Picture
    Phil Walter/Getty Images

    THE TRUE value of certain players often isn’t fully appreciated until they’re not there.

    That’s certainly true of Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock. Everyone knew they were great players but at the end of 2016, when the All Blacks lost to Ireland without them, just how critical they are to New Zealand’s Test aspirations was hammered home.

    The All Blacks, on an 18-Test unbeaten run coming into that match in Chicago, were just not the same team without the injured Retallick and Whitelock.

    They wobbled at the lineout, were loose around kick-offs, lacked grunt in the scrum and, without the ball-carrying carnage of Retallick in the middle of the field, they didn’t rock Ireland back on defence and generate the momentum from which their attack flows.

    Two weeks later in Dublin, with Retallick and Whitelock back in the starting side, the All Blacks won 21-9 – a victory built on their physicality.

    Maybe it wasn’t simply the return of Whitelock and Retallick that changed everything. Then

    You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

    More from Rugby World

    Rugby World3 min read
    The Remarkable Rise Of Cam Winnett
    IN A year that has seen the passing of the legendary JPR Williams, it’s fitting to see the emergence of a new Welsh international in the iconic full-back role. That player is Cameron Winnett. When Winnett faced Scotland at the start of the Six Nation
    Rugby World3 min read
    Grass Roots Heroes
    Luchia Ellul-Alimikhena is a 13-year-old from the Llanedeyrn district of Cardiff. She’s not currently a Welsh speaker but is in the process of learning the national anthem, Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, for a very special reason. Twelve months ago, through a c
    Rugby World7 min read
    Meet your hero
    INTERROGATING THE heroes of the past? What a chance to pick up some pointers, ask the burning questions or the obvious ones – or throw something new at a familiar face. We love the idea of an up-and-comer putting queries to a legendary figure. So we’

    Related Books & Audiobooks