“rugby world cup 2011 NEW ZEALAND ARGENTI” (CC BY 2.0) by Jean Francois Fournier Photographe
The New Zealand All Blacks are one of sport’s greatest tales, period. There’s an enigma to this team that few others can lay claims to. In soccer, the great Brazil teams of the past had it. The US basketball team in the golden era of Michael Jordan and the ‘dream team’ had it. Finding other teams with this magical essence isn’t easy in modern sport, but the All Blacks are the standout exception. The Amazon film series ‘All or Nothing – New Zealand All Blacks’ is a fascinating look behind the scenes of this sporting dynasty.
All Blacks welcomed filming with open arms
Never before offered access to the inner workings of a refined success-producing sporting machine was granted in the 2017 production, with coach Steve Hansen and his star-studded team led by Beauden Barrett and skipper Kieran Read offering an in-depth and no-holds-barred window into what makes the All Blacks experience.
Sporting documentaries of this nature can be tedious affairs if those in the mix aren’t willing to participate fully. To make the process worthwhile, the access needs to be almost unconditional. In this regard, the All Blacks are more than willing participants. Meeting rooms, dressing rooms, home life, and those harrowing times on treatment tables are all laid bare. The viewer becomes a VIP guest of the world’s greatest rugby team.
To understand the All Blacks is to understand NZ
A real selling point of this film series is that you don’t need to be a mega-fan of rugby union to ‘get’ the All Blacks. There’s no sense of overly focusing on the technical aspects of the game itself, of which there are many, and this series should appeal to sports fans in general.
To understand the All Blacks is to realize that for a New Zealander, this really is ‘all or nothing’ stuff. In New Zealand, betting on many sports is a popular past time, and sites perhaps best-known for gathering bonuses to use at online casinos, such as Bonusfinder, also introduce users to the best bonuses for sports betting. On their official website, you can see that football and even eSports are betting markets that are available and for which you can find bonuses, but rugby is the clear favorite. It is a way of life. Within this film, those that have the famous All Blacks jersey bestowed on them do an excellent job of conveying the sense of pride and fulfillment that comes with it. And it’s clear that becoming an All Black is the product of a God-given talent and a lifetime’s hard work and endeavor.
“2017.08.19.21.47.20-Beauden Barrett” (CC BY 2.0) by www.davidmolloyphotography.com
Tense viewing beats similar shows
The viewer gets a glimpse of how even the most feted and talented All Blacks can be questioned. Barrett, out-half and two-time World Player of the Year, finds his place in the starting team questioned in the Kiwi media. Hansen, the coach who has been involved in their last two World Cup triumphs, finds his job under scrutiny in a season where his team wrapped up the Rugby Championship with two games to spare. A drawn Test series against the British and Irish Lions, coached by exiled Kiwi Warren Gatland, is viewed as a failure for the All Blacks.
There have been some far from convincing ‘see all, hear all’ sports documentaries in recent times, in particular those trying to get behind the gated walls of professional soccer. This look inside the world of the All Blacks is different, however. There’s an aura about this team and getting a glimpse into their world is fascinating. The buy-in from those involved makes it more than worthwhile for any sports fan.