It had grown men crying in their Heinekens. New Zealand’s favourite All Black fly half, Daniel Carter, had just been named to captain his country while regular captain Ritchie McCaw was rested in their final Rugby World Cup 2011 pool game against Canada. A man at the peak of his powers, Carter had been playing magnificently and thoroughly deserved the honour. Then suddenly, during the Captain’s training run, he was cruelly felled with a serious groin injury, ruling him out of the remainder of the tournament. For a nation spiritually connected to their rugby (you only need to watch the famous Maori haka performed before each match to understand the level of passion New Zealanders have about Rugby!), this was hard to take and a dark cloud loomed over New Zealand’s Rugby World Cup 2011 aspirations.
Out of the gloom rises understudy Colin Slade who, like Carter, is from the Canterbury province Number 10 factory (remember Robbie Deans, now coach of the Australian Wallabies, and Andrew Mehrtens?). This young man, who turns 24 the day after the All Blacks quarter final against Argentina on Sunday, will no doubt be feeling the weight of expectation on his shoulders. Kiwis have been told by a philosophical Carter to “move on” and support the new pivot. With confidence being a big part of the role, the doubters of Slade’s ability are advised to keep their opinions to themselves. New Zealand has the ability to make virtually anything out of necessity and a piece of number-eight fencing wire, so all Kiwis hope the new man will rise to the occasion and help the All Blacks lift the William Webb Ellis trophy on 23 October 2011!