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‘We’re human’: Kirwan describes the ‘enormous amount of pressure’ on All Blacks

(Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Playing for the All Blacks is a goal that many New Zealanders spend years dreaming of. It’s an unrivalled honour, but a privilege that comes burdened with a roller coaster of emotions.

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These mere mortals carry an almost unbearable weight of responsibility into every Test match. The All Blacks are practically looked at as Gods and are expected to play like it, too.

Rugby fans are glued to highlights reels and behind-the-scenes clips on social media whenever the All Blacks win. The taste of sweet, sweet victory is godly for players and fans alike.

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But the lows of defeat are tough.

Two-time World Rugby Player of the Year, Beauden Barrett, sent New Zealand into a state of euphoria when the All Black scored the final try of the 2015 Rugby World Cup final.

With less than two minutes to run on the clock, Barrett showed some tidy skills to score a try that will live on in All Blacks history forever. New Zealand became back-to-back World Cup winners for the first time.

Barrett let out a massive grin as he battered the ball into the air, but was tackled by a jubilant Julian Savea almost immediately afterwards. But it didn’t wipe the smile off his face.

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Last 5 Meetings

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3
Draws
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Wins
2
Average Points scored
25
28
First try wins
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Home team wins
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Barrett and the All Blacks had made history.

But that same player has experienced some dark days as a rugby player.

New Zealand were beaten by northern hemisphere heavyweights Ireland in a series on home soil last year. It was the first time that had ever happened, and the hurt was felt across Aotearoa.

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Barrett, 32, said on NZR+ docuseries All Blacks: In Their Own Words, “It’s not like someone’s died but it’s probably the next worst thing.” That quote is raw and reflective of New Zealand rugby culture.

Ahead of the All Blacks’ record defeat to the world champion Springboks at Twickenham last week, Barrett sat alongside teammates Sam Whitelock and Anton Lienert-Brown on a mental health panel.

The All Blacks trio were joined by Rugby World Cup winner Sir John Kirwan, who is a leading advocate for mental health awareness and prevention in New Zealand.

Kirwan said that these rugby players experience an “enormous amount of pressure” whenever they pull on the black jersey – and they “feel” it as well.

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“It is our national identity, it’s what we hang our hat on,” Kirwan told RugbyPass in London.

“Any Kiwi, even if he doesn’t like rugby, and he comes to the UK or he’s driving through Portugal and he stops as a bar, they say ‘where are you from,’ you say ‘New Zealand’ and they say ‘All Blacks.’

“You take that pride that we have and the players feel that responsibility, we feel that responsibility passionately that we are representing our communities are our people.

“That creates an enormous amount of pressure and we feel that pressure, and you have to learn how to manage it.”

The man known as ‘JK’ by rugby fans, pundits and players is hoping to “change the world’ as he continues to speak openly about mental health and his challenge as an All Black.

Last week in London, New Zealand Rugby launched a groundbreaking partnership with Kirwan’s proactive wellbeing platform Groov.

The company will support those involved in community and grassroots programs, as well as high-performance teams including the All Blacks and Black Ferns.

“I think it’s fundamental for our sportspeople and our leaders across all sports, not just rugby, that everyone understands that we’re human,” Kirwan added.

“To perform you’ve got to get that mental health balance right – we all go through tough times. When you go through tough times you’ve got to have…that playbook.

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“For me, it’s if you want to change the world, and as I mentioned before, we’ve got the power to change… It’s pretty exciting when great men like that come out and say it’s okay.”

In the same docuseries as Beauden Barrett, All Blacks veteran Dane Coles spoke about how a teacher at his child’s daycare was “ripping into me” after the disastrous series defeat.

“I couldn’t escape it,” Coles said. The pressure and expectation is relentless, but that’s the life of an All Black.

High-performance sport is tough. Kirwan felt the pain of defeat during a losing run with the Auckland Blues as head coach.

Kirwan won the 1987 Rugby World Cup in New Zealand and went on to coach the Blues in Super Rugby, and both Italy and Japan in the international game.

The former All Black resigned as the Blues coach on June 18, 2015, following a disastrous campaign.

“It’s really, really hard, mate. It’s hard when you’re not performing in any sport so the mental side of the game is fundamental.

“Getting that balance right, being able to switch off.

“I remember, and I was mentally well, but when the Blues weren’t going well I wasn’t sleeping. I had to readdress that and say, ‘Well, if I’m not sleeping there’s going to be this spiral.’

“You’ve got to be really conscious of how you keep yourself in that performance care, and that performance care balance.

“People sometimes don’t see you as a person, they see you as a God or as a person that can deal with what you throw at them because they must be able to do that.

“They’re human and we’re all human. It’s something that you have to learn to compartmentalise, but some people can compartmentalise naturally, and some of us can’t. It’s something that I had to learn.”

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Comments

5 Comments
B
B.J. Spratt 641 days ago

Yeah! Andrew it must be so tough being an All Black. Most young kids growing up in New Zealand have no idea who the All Blacks are and what they do.


I agree with Shaylen. A bit of your soul may die Andrew but most of us couldn't care less. We are excellent at a lot of other Sports and in 10 years Basketball will be our National Sport.


I am 68 and I will never see New Zealand win another World Rugby Cup.


When you consider over 75% of All Blacks will suffer from CTE, the odd loss is really not really the problem, we should be worried about.


I love watching Rugby. Would I want my grandsons to play it?


Hell no! The New Zealand Rugby Union thinks CTE is part of a Physical Education Degree.


Most responsible young parents won't allow their kids to play rugby, hence the 25% drop in player participation in the last 10 years in New Zealand.


I am destined to watch old videos of our "Great All Black Teams"

A
Andrew 642 days ago

Its rough being a test player in the only global sport we are consistently any good at. If the ABs become just another side in test rugby as it appears

to be happening, a bit of NZs soul will die with it.

S
SK 641 days ago

Mate what about netball, you have won multiple world titles there. NZ aint bad at cricket either. You have made multiple finals there in global events. Pretty decent hockey team as well. Rugby isnt the only thing NZ is good at.

S
SC 642 days ago

All Blacks and Springboks are use to ridiculously high expectations by the countrymen.


Let’s see if Ireland and France can cope with the weight of being expected to win the World Cup and the pressure that brings.


History says they will not.

T
Tk 642 days ago

I've always had a huge amount of respect for JK and how he has pioneered the mental health conversation on NZ rugby.

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SK 3 hours ago
Broken hand or not, Richie Mo'unga is still New Zealand's best 10

Probably the best 10 in the world right now and his talents are confined to League one in Japan. What a shame. Would be a pleasure to see him play week in and week out for bigger teams especially the All Blacks. The fact that he is committed to League one for another year along with Frizzell is a clear indication of how happy these 2 are in Japan and is something for the AB’s to consider seriously. These players play fewer games per year than most players, have more time off and they are highly respected by the Japanese in the set up. The salaries are also great so its easy to see why so many SA, Aus and NZ players now call League One home. The AB’s have now for too long discarded players before their sell by date. This is especially true for players over 30 and players who leave the set up. This history of discarding players means that anyone that goes on Sabbatical or leaves now is seen as expendable and will have to come back and fight for their place. I was shocked when comments emerged from NZ that Jordie Barrett needs to come back and prove himself again especially as there are performers in Super Rugby stepping up. He has nothing to prove to anyone as he proves time and time again that he is world class whether in a Leinster Jersey or Hurricanes one. Also no new Super Rugby newbie will be able to replace the experience Barrett has at the international level so any talk of that is folly. Its the same with Richie Mo'unga and Frizell. You can understand why the AB’s keep the eligibility rules in place but lets be honest, the days of thinking that there is a ready made replacement ready to step up are gone so the pundits in NZ need to stop acting like many of their best are easily replaced. The gap between Super Rugby and international rugby has grown. Its time the AB’s face up to that reality or face up to the new reality of more sub par 70% win rate years.

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