All Blacks look to erase 1999 heartbreak

DURING this week, two conversations have helped bring rugby in New Zealand into perspective.

One middle-aged female shop assistant spoke of the All Blacks’ loss to France in the 1999 World Cup semi-finals and how, after the match, although it was only 5am and just starting to get bright, she grabbed hedge clippers and went out into the garden where she spent hours attacking her hedge, all the while tears streaming down her face.

This time round, she has convinced herself not to become so involved, but, as the team enters the semi-final stage, she confesses to more than just a twinge of tension.