Admire the All Blacks, but don’t be intimidated by them

THERE’S a smart comment that the boss likes to employ (not my boss now, you understand, just ‘the’ boss — any boss) along the lines of ‘Whether I’m right or wrong, I’m always right, ‘cos I’m always the boss’.

Along the same lines, however, there’s another little saying that I much prefer, because it says so much more — ‘Whether you think you can or whether you think you can’t, either way you’re right’. And I can’t help applying it to the All Black rugby team, and the Irish international rugby team, in that same order.

I love reading about the All Blacks, I love watching the All Blacks, I love watching documentaries on the All Blacks — I love the whole culture that has grown up around them — but I’m just not intimidated by it.