Rugby: Breaking down the ABs' record home run

All Blacks (L-R) Joe Moody, Kieran Read and Wyatt Crockett hold the Freedom Cup after beating the...
All Blacks (L-R) Joe Moody, Kieran Read and Wyatt Crockett hold the Freedom Cup after beating the Springboks in in Wellington on Saturday night. REUTERS/Anthony Phelps

The All Blacks won their 36th straight home game on Saturday night - the New Zealand Herald breaks down the record run.

Sequence to savour

• The All Blacks' last defeat on home soil was against South Africa in Hamilton 2009 when the Springboks won 32-29. Back then I Gotta Feeling by Black Eyed Peas was the number one song and The Hangover was a big hit at the box office.

• Of the 36 straight victories the closest wins were the 8-7 victory over France in the 2011 Rugby World Cup final and the 28-27 victory over England in Dunedin in June. Only four other teams have got within single figures of the All Blacks during the streak with South Africa's four-point defeat on Saturday the third closest.

• The 36 tests include eight against Australia and six against South Africa. The only Top 10 nations that don't feature are Scotland and Samoa.

• 13 of the victories were played at Eden Park where the All Blacks haven't lost since July 3, 1994 - a 34-match unbeaten streak.

• The most points conceded by the All Blacks during the streak is the 33 scored by Australia last season. The next best is Ireland who lost 66-28 in New Plymouth in 2010.

• The 36-test run began with a win over Australia in the final game of the 2009 Tri-Nations, played at Westpac Stadium. The All Blacks cruised to victory 33-6. Names in the All Blacks side that day included Isaia Toeava, Joe Rokocoko, Jimmy Cowan, Aled de Malmanche, Jason Eaton and Tom Donnelly - on debut. Ma'a Nonu, Richie McCaw and Kieran Read are the only players from Saturday's match who also appeared in that test.

• The streak covers matches at nine different stadiums and seven cities, including the final test matches at Carisbrook and Lancaster Park.

• Conrad Smith has played in 30 of the 36 tests, McCaw 29 and Read 28.

• During the same timeframe the All Blacks have played 31 tests away or on neutral soil and have lost just four.

• During the same timeframe, South Africa have lost five times on home soil, England nine defeats and Australia 10.

• Going further back, the All Blacks have lost just three tests on home soil in 61 tests played in the past decade.

Also...

• Steven Hansen's All Blacks now have a 21-test unbeaten run dating back to their last defeat against England at the end of the 2012 season - two tests shy of equalling the record shared by the All Blacks (1987-1990) and Cyprus (2008-current).

• Keven Mealamu played in his 100th test win for the All Blacks - just the second player in history, after McCaw, to reach the feat.

• Beauden Barrett has played in 23 tests (20 from the bench) and has yet to taste defeat. Ben Franks, Wyatt Crockett. Aaron Cruden, Julian Savea, Aaron Smith, Ben Smith, Brodie Retallick and Dane Coles have all experienced just one defeat.

• Under Hansen the All Blacks have a 94.28% win-loss record with 32 wins in 35 matches, one defeat and two draws.

• The All Blacks are four wins short of 400. The last 100 victories took eight seasons to accomplish. They needed 66 years to reach their first 100 wins (1903-1968).

The streak

1 - All Blacks 33 Australia 6, Wellington, Sep 19, 2009
2 - All Blacks 66 Ireland 28, New Plymouth, June 12, 2010
3 - All Blacks 42 Wales 9, Dunedin, June 19, 2010
4 - All Blacks 29 Wales 10, Hamilton, June 26, 2010
5 - All Blacks 32 South Africa 12, Auckland, Jul 10, 2010
6 - All Blacks 31 South Africa 17, Wellington, Jul 17, 2010
7 - All Blacks 20 Australia 10, Christchurch, Aug 7, 2010
8 - All Blacks 60 Fiji 14, Dunedin, Jul 22, 2011
9 - All Blacks 40 South Africa 7, Wellington, Jul 30, 2011
10 - All Blacks 30 Australia 14, Auckland, Aug 6 , 2011
11 - All Blacks 41 Tonga 10, Auckland Sep 9, 2011
12 - All Blacks 83 Japan 7, Hamilton, Sep 16, 2011
13 - All Blacks 37 France 17, Auckland, Sep 24, 2011
14 - All Blacks 79 Canada 15, Wellington, Oct 2, 2011
15 - All Blacks 33 Argentina 10, Auckland, Oct 9, 2011
16 - All Blacks 20 Australia 6, Auckland, Oct 16, 2011
17 - All Blacks 8 France 7, Auckland, Oct 23 , 2011
18 - All Blacks 42 Ireland 10, Auckland, June 9, 2012
19 - All Blacks 22 Ireland 19, Christchurch, June 16, 2012
20 - All Blacks 60 Ireland 0, Hamilton, June 23, 2012
21 - All Blacks 22 Australia 0, Auckland, Aug 25, 2012
22 - All Blacks 21 Argentina 5, Wellington, Sep 8, 2012
23 - All Blacks 21 South Africa 11, Dunedin, Oct 15, 2012
24 - All Blacks 23 France 13, Auckland, June 8, 2013
25 - All Blacks 30 France 0, Christchurch, June 15, 2013
26 - All Blacks 24 France 9, New Plymouth, June 22, 2013
27 - All Blacks 27 Australia 16, Wellington, Aug 24, 2013
28 - All Blacks 28 Argentina 13, Hamilton, Sep 7, 2013
29 - All Blacks 29 South Africa 15, Auckland, Sep 14, 2013
30 - All Blacks 41 Australia 33, Dunedin, Oct 19, 2013.
31 - All Blacks 20 England 15, Auckland, June 7, 2014
32 - All Blacks 28 England 27, Dunedin, June 14, 2014
33 - All Blacks 36 England 13, Hamilton, June 21, 2014
34 - All Blacks 51 Australia 20, Auckland, Aug 23, 2014
35 - All Blacks 28 Argentina 9, Napier, Sep 6, 2014
36 - All Blacks 14 South Africa 10, Wellington, Sep 13, 2014

 

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