Last December, the future looked extremely dark for New Zealand rugby fans. A disastrous 2007 Rugby World Cup, in which for the first time ever, the All Blacks failed to make it out of the Quarterfinals. A massive player exodus, that took some of New Zealand’s biggest stars to Europe, ruling them ineligible to play for the Silver Fern, meant that the majority of New Zealand talent was now unavailable for selection. Finally, the overseer of the disaster in France, Graham Henry, was re-hired allowing the heir apparent, Robbie Deans, to cross over to the enemy, Australia.
It was truly a difficult time for Kiwi fans the world over. A shadow of doubt had even begun to creep into this writers head, and yet, a small ray of hope began to pierce the darkness. Perhaps the 2007 Rugby World Cup was not as bad a disaster as it seemed. Going into the tournament the All Blacks were truly the world champions, having beaten every other major international team at least twice since the 2003 Rugby World Cup. Who can forget the 61-10 victory over France in June of 2007, the 30-13 win over Australia in 2006, or the emphatic sweep over the Lions in 2005. In fact, up to the Quarterfinal, the All Blacks had not ever really faced much of a challenge. Everyone has a bad day once in awhile. Why let one loss, even in the World Cup, ruin a brilliant record?
What about Graham Henry, the man who bears the brunt of responsibility for the World Cup? The former Auckland coach has reached the pinnacle of coaching time and again. The Auckland Blues, Wales, the British and Irish Lions, and the All Blacks, the man has coached the best of the best. It would be outright foolish to sack a coach for one loss, no matter how important it was. Giving Henry the benefit of the doubt, the pass to Michalak for the Quarterfinal winning try was an illegal forward pass, and referee Wayne Barnes of England, at age 28, was a relatively inexperienced whistle blower. Even the NZRU review board found that the 2007 Rugby World Cup was not entirely Henry’s fault. Replacing a proven winner, Graham Henry, for a relatively unknown, Robbie Deans, was simply too much of a risk.
Finally, the player exodus was not as complete a disaster as many would like to think. Yes, Chris Jack, Carl Hayman, and Jerry Collins, the three greatest players in their positions are gone, as well as several other extremely talented players, but there is still a solid core of experienced players. All Black captain Richie McCaw resigned with the NZRU, as did Dan Carter, two of the undisputed greatest players in the history of the game, and both winners of the IRB’s International Player of the Year award. In addition, Ali Williams, Mils Muliaina, and several other key players have resigned. While the player exodus did take several good players away, enough stayed for Graham Henry to build a solid team. 
In rebuilding the All Blacks, Henry truly has an eye to the future. Several players received their test debut caps this year. Richard Kahui, Anthony Tuitavake, and Stephen Donald are all international rookies, and all have looked surprisingly comfortable with the pace of a Test Match. In four years time, they will have plenty of experience in international rugby. In addition, several players that had previously fallen out of favor with Henry have been recalled and are certainly desperate for the black jersey. Piri Weepu has been a steady presence at the base of the scrum, and Ma’a Nonu has been simply amazing at Second Five-Eighths. What’s even better is that all of these players will be around for the 2011 World Cup, in New Zealand, and lets not forget that every one of the All Blacks that left for Europe after the 2007 Rugby World Cup signed 2 year contracts, meaning they will be back in plenty of time to play club rugby in New Zealand for a season, making them eligible once again for the jersey.
All in all, there truly is hope for Graham Henry and the All Blacks. This years Iveco Series and Tri-Nations have certainly proved that. New Zealand went undefeated during the Iveco Series and retained both the Tri-Nations title and the Bledisloe Cup. This was no mean feat as Graham Henry and the All Blacks faced some truly worthy competition from the Robbie Deans coached Wallabies and the World Cup winning Springboks of South Africa. So maybe that one match last October was just that, one match. Yes its frustrating that the All Blacks must wait another four years for a crack at the 2011 World Cup, but once again, all the pieces will be there. An impressive, even intimidating record, a truly great coach, a team that includes several of the best players in world rugby, in addition to being the host nation for the World Cup, means that by 2011, the All Blacks will be in the perfect position to win the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand.