Henry: All Black fans are arrogant
Graham Henry has criticised the New Zealand public’s attitude towards the All Blacks and their rivals, describing the nation’s rugby fans as “arrogant”.
Henry and his squad have been widely praised at home for their whitewash of the British and Irish Lions and are expected to capitalise on their status as favourites to reclaim the Tri-Nations, which also involves Australia and South Africa.
But the former Wales and Lions coach may have been reacting to the weight of such expectation when he said: “Generally speaking, New Zealanders are pretty arrogant about their feelings about the All Blacks and think they’re the best team in the world.
“That’s not the case, especially since the game has gone professional.
“We also have to give credit to other rugby nations around the world. They can play the game and it’s not something New Zealanders acknowledge very often.
“Australia are a much stronger side now, especially over the last few years. England have improved though they’ve dropped off the pace in the last 18 months. And France. So I think it’s just greater competition these days.”
Henry’s statement came as the All Blacks squad assembled to travel to South Africa for their opening Tri-Nations fixture against the reigning champions on August 6.
