Landmark reunion for NZ class of '87

(Rugby News Service) Wednesday 22 August 2007

Twenty years ago New Zealand’s players became the very first to win a Rugby World Cup, beating France at Auckland’s Eden Park, and fittingly it was at the very same venue that they all met recently for a 20th anniversary reunion.

David Kirk’s winning All Blacks are still regarded by many as the greatest side to have graced a World Cup and, in a country starved of success on the biggest stage since, are now held up as national icons.

“It's the first time there has been an official gathering of the full All Black team from 1987,” Kirk told Total Rugby. “Of course we see each other bits and pieces on a fairly regular basis with all the test matches but it is also quite far flung now with many of them in the UK or other parts of the world.”

Without a precedent to follow, the first tournament was a relatively understated affair. None of the fans, administrators or even players knew quite what was on the cards when the opening ceremony heralded a new era of World Rugby at Eden Park.

“The biggest thing was the build up to the competition,” said former prop Steve McDowell. “It was all new and fresh, there were no standards set by anyone else so we were paving our way through that particular tournament.”

In the end it was a piece of brilliance from John Kirwan in the very first match of the piece which kick-started the event. Fly half Grant Fox was the rock at fly half who went on to score 126 points, but even he still singles out Kirwan’s length-of-the-pitch solo run to slay Italy as the one act that breathed life into the fledgling Cup.

“The World Cup came alight when John scored that try,” Fox said. “And then we got on a bit of a roll and people thought ‘maybe this won't be a bad tournament’”.

Following that opening win against Italy, the All Blacks improved as they went, no side able to handle their relentless attacking style.

“That is what that team did,” said centre Warrick Taylor. “It had flair out wide, we had game breakers like JK (John Kirwan) and everyone worked so well together it was the way we complemented each others’ styles.

In the final, France came as close as anyone to the All Blacks - and still lost by 20 points. In quality and application, New Zealand had simply pulled away from the rest of the world. A familiar story between World Cups in recent times, but that early success has so far proved a millstone round the necks of successive generations.

The local expectation can be suffocating and, as the undisputed world number one team, the pressure on Richie McCaw’s men heading into the Rugby World Cup is immense but Kirk has confidence in the class of 2007.

“I have high hopes,” he said. “I think the team is well prepared, it's a quality team, it's well coached, well captained and well led so they have every chance. But you have to do it on the day so there are no guarantees.”