Henry opts for ‘touchy feely’ approach

Graham Henry admits he made mistakes as Lions coach four years ago. Now he’s determined to use that experience to defeat his erstwhile colleagues. Simon Lewis spoke to him in Christchurch ahead of today’s first Test.

HAVING based his All Blacks in a hotel overlooking the busiest square in Christchurch, New Zealand coach Graham Henry needed little reminder this week of the huge anticipation generated by this three-Test series against the Lions.

The South Island’s biggest city has been greeting British and Irish fans in increasing numbers since the beginning of the week.

Those attaching themselves to the Barmy Army struck camp in Queenstown yesterday after a week of skiing, a little snow-boarding and plenty of partying to make the journey from the Southern Alps in time for this morning’s first Test at Jade Stadium.

“The number of people in the town, the number of people wearing red shirts walking around the square in front of the cathedral and the attention by the media; it’s obviously going to cause some edge,” Henry said yesterday.

“We haven’t gone down there (into the town), we don’t need to, it’s obvious. We’re just concentrating on preparing correctly and hoping to perform.”

Yet it is not the Lions’ support which has been concerning Henry. He has some pretty high expectation levels in his own camp to contend with, from a nation of Kiwis desperate to collect something tangible to go with all the kudos that comes so naturally to the purveyors of their national sport.

“It’s something that we’ve addressed for some time and it was something that needed to be addressed. I guess it’s about trying to get the tools in the tool box to handle most of those things.

“We discuss it and make people aware of it and adjust to that sort of pressure.

“We’ve discussed it over 12 months,” Henry said, “not just about this particular series but for all our competitive games and I think it’s very important the guys can enjoy the contest and go out and express themselves and not be inhibited by that expectation of the public and the pressure from rugby being the number one sport in this country.

“It’s a very good thing, I think, that we’ve got the situation in this country that rugby is the number one sport. It’s almost a religion and we’re very lucky as a rugby nation to have that, so we’ve got to make the most of that. Because we’re not going to change it.”

Especially not for this series, which Henry admits is topped in importance only by the World Cup.

“We as the four selectors looked at the various campaigns leading up to the World Cup in 2007 and we ranked this number two after the World Cup. We saw it as a special series; it only happens every 12 years; we’re playing against four nations and we’re playing Test matches three Saturdays in a row - all of those things. So it’s very high on the level of importance as far as the All Blacks are concerned and that’s how we’re treating it.”

Of course Henry will have an insight into the Lions’ approach to this series, having led the tourists in Australia four years ago.

As the first non-British or Irish coach of the Lions, he saw the 2001 series get off to a flying start with victory over the Wallabies, only to see it slip from his grasp to a 2-1 defeat as critics from in and outside the camp turned on the New Zealander for his autocratic style.

Henry is the first to admit he made mistakes on that tour but he also recognises that it is the All Blacks who are benefiting from those painful lessons.

“I’ve made huge changes since that tour,” Henry said.

“I’m still learning, but it was the biggest learning experience that I’ve been through as a rugby coach.

“I over-focused on winning rather than player development. I should have been a lot more touchy-feely I guess.

“But it was a New Zealand culture working with a European group of people so it was quite different. I did things on that tour that they hadn’t experienced before and I’d probably do them again but I’d explain what I was doing them for and make sure they understood. Whether they would have accepted that is something different again.

“So yes, it was a great learning experience, good memories, a few scars and I’m pleased I went through it.” To even hear the words “touchy-feely” emerge from the normally pursed lips of one of sport’s most taciturn coaches is remarkable in itself. For Henry to use them in conjunction with a discussion about himself is a landmark event and it begged the question whether he was now a lot more “touchy-feely.”

The answer comes not with words but actions. Turning to Tana Umaga, who is sitting at his right hand side, Henry stretches out an arm and wraps it around his captain, finishing with a squeeze. Umaga responds in kind and the world seems a better place.

“I think people are just brought up differently,” Henry continues once the laughter subsides.

“I think New Zealand rugby players are just a little bit more practical in that way. I’m not explaining myself very well but it’s just different.

“They (the 2001 Lions) were just different from what I’d experienced coaching Auckland and the Blues and so on.

“They were into fairness and everybody getting an equal opportunity and I was into winning a Test series.

“I wasn’t sensitive enough about the team that played in the midweek prior to the first Test,” Henry continued, before checking himself, as if he had gone too far in retracing his steps, and adding: “but I’m boring you, all this has been well documented.”

Henry is on much safer, less emotive ground, when he is asked if a series win over the 2005 Lions would vindicate the All Blacks’ world number one ranking after nearly two decades of underachievement at the World Cup.

“We’re doing the best we can,” he responded.

“We’ve got good depth in our rugby players and we can’t do any more than we’re doing.”