The evolution of rugby has been rapid since the influx of Pacific Islanders began to take it to new levels of physical prowess. Fast, muscular, skillful, and driven, the young men from islands like Tonga, Samoa, and Fiji have set the game ablaze. With limited opportunity in their smaller nations, many have come to New Zealand for the chance to be exposed to the best schools and coaching, and potentially find a way into the All Blacks program.
That dominance at the junior levels of the game has now seen players of Pacific Islander heritage form the majority of successive U20 squads, campaigning alongside those whose lineage is Maori (the native New Zealanders) or Pakeha (a Maori word that refers to Kiwis descended from European stock).
That sort of over-representation has become commonplace in rugby circles, even if Pacific Islanders represent only around seven percent of New Zealand’s population, and Maori around 14 percent. And with those communities likely to suffer from higher crime rates and less access to healthcare and education, the importance of producing high-quality role models has become paramount. The national teams, in that case, have become vital accompaniments to the greater melting pot, microcosms of how integration and collaboration can and should operate.
In between the brown and white skins, many covered in traditional tattoos, are shades of grey. Many of the Polynesians are from families who see themselves dually as Samoan, for instance, and New Zealanders. They will proudly sing the national anthem, and belt out the iconic haka, a spine-tingling ancestral Maori war cry that has become one of the most famous pregame rituals in sport.
The All Blacks gather before kick-off as the opposing side typically lock arms to meet the ritual challenge. Such is the perceived psychological benefit to the All Blacks that more than one coach or columnist has campaigned for it to be banned on account of offering an unfair advantage. They thunder through the moves of the original Ka Mate haka or more recently, the Kapa o Pango haka, unveiled in 2005 to better reflect the Pacific Island influence of contemporary New Zealand, and by extension its rugby teams.
Harmony within the group is manicured just as carefully as football matters like scrummaging or defensive patterns. As part of the intensive work off the field, players are continually taught to respect and embrace the meeting of cultures, says Mike Anthony, a high-performance expert who oversees the U20s program.
“More recently in this team the representation has been higher toward Pacific Island boys than Maori, so that balance is very important,” Anthony says. “They play under one flag and we sing the national anthem in English and Maori. But there is always acknowledgment of our cultures, and we often theme a campaign around cultural components. That’s very important. The mix of the group is year-to-year, but it’s always something we observe and it is just part of the fabric of this team.”
For Robertson, that blending of backgrounds has not only become a powerful learning tool but a force that can be captured, cultured, and translated into the strongest of team bonds, which in turn manifests on the rugby field.
“There’s a very strong mix and a strong awareness of people’s backgrounds and traditions. The key is how to get that buy-in, how to get real understanding,” Robertson says. “You have to be aware and respect other people’s beliefs. Front and center to that is a team mentality, so you harness and promote that diversity. We have very clear expectations and standards. We talk about culture. We talk about how you behave, how you connect with people, how you have good conversations, real conversations. We make sure people are treated with respect.”
Part of that cultural education comes from those who have trod the path before, like former All Blacks captain Tana Umaga (whose parents were Samoan immigrants to New Zealand), who retired in 2005 and is now coach of the Blues, Auckland’s Super Rugby team. McCaw has also been involved with the U20s program, offering his peerless advice to the next generation of players.
It's a substantial brief for a coach like Robertson, who is trying to produce well-rounded men on one hand and merciless rugby assassins on the other. Central to it all is the march toward this year’s World Rugby U20 Championship, to be held in June in Manchester, England.
After winning the first four crowns, New Zealand had the distinctly surreal feeling of finishing second, third, and fourth from 2012 to 2014, before returning to the winner’s circle in 2015 with victory over England. Given the momentum with which New Zealand rugby now rolls, it would take a brave man to bet against them.
Already, 370 U20s players have risen to play Test rugby since the foundation tournament in 2008. Robertson and Anthony hope they can add to that tally. But the candidates must be right, not just good. “I think that’s the massive difference with this program,” says Anthony. “We don’t only want good rugby players. We want excellent people.”