Brendan Gallagher

Brendan Gallagher: Greatest team ever? The 1996 All Blacks

Brendan Gallagher makes the case for the often-overlooked 1996 All Blacks as the greatest team he has ever seen, 30 years on from their historic triumph in South Africa.

by
Brendan Gallagher
16 August 2026

New Zealand celebrate winning the second Test against South Africa in Pretoria, 1996

The greatest team I ever saw? It’s the perennial question thrown at lucky hounds like me who have been paid over the decades to report on rugby around the globe.
My esteemed colleague Chris Hewett always unhesitatingly nominates the 2015 New Zealand World Cup-winning squad with the likes of Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Conrad Smith, Ma’a Nonu et al signing off in spectacular style after they rather stumbled to a fortuitous World Cup triumph four years earlier.

The 2015 All Blacks were unquestionably a brilliant team, and their quarter-final win over France was a performance for the ages.
They w...

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Related TopicsAustralia Championship England Fiji France New Zealand Northampton Saints Premium Scotland South Africa Wales World Cup

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