World of Boxing and Rugby Union
Loosehead Prop
4. Tony Woodcock
Tony Woodcock has kept a low profile and has been one of New Zealand rugby's quiet achievers. Yet despite the absence of fanfare and flamboyance, Woodcock over a decade has accomplished much for the All Blacks.
Within a season or two of his becoming a regular in the All Blacks, he had won acclaim as one of the world's best loose-head props and his durability and the high standards he has set by the end of 2012 had him on the verge of 100 test caps. As early as 2010 he had become the All Blacks' most capped prop and his feats since have confirmed him as one of the side's most consistent and most invaluable performers.
Woodcock has been another All Blacks mainstay who, having been identified at a young age, has more than fulfilled his early promise. He was firstly a national representative with the under 16's in 1997, in the under 19's in 1999-2000 and in the under 21's for three seasons in 2000-02.
His strength and stamina were soon demonstrated in his first few seasons. Between 2001 and 2004 he did not miss a game for the union and in 2002-03 was on the field for every minute of every match. Though he made his All Blacks debut in 2002, Woodcock did not become a regular selection until 2004. With firstly Carl Hayman on the tight-head side and more recently Owen Franks, Woodcock has always ensured that the All Blacks have had the benefit of a stable, and often dominant scrum.
Apart from a troublesome foot injury in recent years, which caused him to miss some of the early season internationals in 2011, Woodcock has always been extremely fit, having developed a natural strength and endurance from continuing to work whenever his rugby commitments have allowed on his family's dairy farm. Though always playing for sides based in a major city like Auckland, Woodcock has a rural background and grew up near Kaukapapapa, a small township west of Auckland.
With his friend and front row colleague, Andrew Hore, also from a farming background, Woodcock is a throw-back to those decades when men of the land flourished in All Blacks sides. Even though he has amassed more than 100 Super games with the Blues, Woodcock for the 2013 Super 15 has switched franchises and joined Hore at the Highlanders.
Though scrummaging and his work in the tight have been his chief contributions to the All Blacks, Woodcock has been surprisingly effective in open play. He has emerged as one of the most prolific try-scorers of any All Blacks prop, having had particular success against the Wallabies, including two in the tri-nations test at Eden Park in 2008. And, of course, as the result of a pre-planned lineout ploy, he was the All Blacks sole try-scorer in the 2011 World Cup final win over France.