Back in October 2007 there was a dark day that most of us seem to have moved on from, but the effects are still evident. All Blacks supporters and fans were low in spirit, some called for heads to roll, some called for stability, and so far neither have been satisfied.

That's right, neither camp, Pro-Henry or Pro-Deans, has been satisfied, much less vindicated. The Deans supporters reasons should be obvious, as their man didn't get the job. The reasons why, as a confessed Henry supporter, I am less than happy, is that I wanted stability and to be rid of the 4 year cycle of AB coaches. We've had no stability.

The selection process is not clear, as it appears the "special projects" may have been cut back on , but the arrogance of ignoring obvious selections and going for bizarre positional re-shuffles while ignoring the available experienced players at their disposal continues now with Kahui shoved to a wing, but only after Leon McDonald stood down with health concerns - before then we had a world class fullback starting on the wing.

The substitution of Braid - presumably because of a lack of match fitness as any other reason would boggle the mind - would lead us to question his inclusion in the side in the first place, having lost to the current World Cup holders two weeks before by a mere two points and leading the game until a piece of individual brilliance wrestled the victory away, using the So'oialo - Thomson - Kaino combination.

Thomson was injured of course so a change had to be made. The obvious thing would be to simply slide in the "next cab off the rank". But that would be SP (Special Project) Lauaki, who cannot play longer than 25-30 minutes it seems. A non-option, therefore. This lack of options was the excuse, so Braid was recalled, amounting to a complete change of positions and tactics, for a team without it's Captain, a vice-Captain in his second or third position depending on your tastes. Where did Kaino play most of his Super 14 rugby this year? So... why?

And then the tactics. A game plan that demanded much from a cobbled together loose forward combination with 1/3rd of it lacking fitness, which appeared to run along the lines of "run it from wherever we are and don't kick it out".

Result: The All Blacks lose the breakdown, the crux of their game, and a huge defeat follows on. So... Why?

On a dark day in October 2007 one of our Fern Brethren coined the following:
"Righteous followers support their teams in the valleys as well as on the mountain tops"

Mr Henry, Mr Smith, Mr Hansen.  We are All Black supporters. I know of no more devoted fans. Some of us signed a letter of unconditional support recently and I do believe there are still very few who would now remove their names. So lead us away from the valleys, while we can still see the mountain tops. Do the obvious and logical. The trail markers are not going to be this bizarre positional tampering and the clearly illogical game plans. Remember the All Blacks should always strive to excel first at the basics so that then our more gifted players can provide the flashes of brilliance as the opportunity arises. It should not be impossible for you to do the same. It is the blueprint you seem to have lost.

Allow us to Keep the Faith.

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