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The stage at the BFI Imax visibly shook as 108 stone of man stamped out an awesome Haka to introduce All Blacks legend Sean Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick is celebrated as one of the greatest rugby players to have come out of New Zealand and is the most capped New Zealand player of all time. Well, “for one more game,” admitted Fitzpatrick to the London Business Forum (LBF); Richie McCaw and Mils Muliaina equalled Fitzpatrick’s achievement the following weekend.

A number of rugby players have spoken to the LBF at the BFI IMAX but even the UK’s largest cinema screen fails to dwarf them. Standing at just over 6ft tall and weighing 107kg, Fitzpatrick is no exception and his presentation to the 300 strong LBF audience was about something he is definitely qualified to talk about - winning.

Fitzpatrick captained arguably the greatest sports team of all time. To give some idea of their incredible record, he revealed that in the last 100 years the English football team have won 50% of games played, the Brazilian football team 73% and the New Zealand All Blacks 84%. His own success speaks for itself; he played for the All Blacks from 1986 to 1995, playing in 127 internationals, 63 of which were consecutive, 92 test matches, and three World Cups.

Winning is very much part of the All Blacks' team culture. The jersey, explained Fitzpatrick, symbolises this and is a powerful reminder of the 4 ½ million New Zealanders, the team's “shareholders,” who they would let down should they lose. Playing for the All Blacks, “is an honour not a job,” he told the LBF and every single player knows exactly what is expected of them before they run onto the field: “[They] are expected to win.”

“Winning is the most important thing,” said Fitzpatrick but he warned against over-celebrating success. England, he suggested, demonstrated the dangers when from being the best they fell to number eight in the world because they continued to celebrate their World Cup success of 2003. Celebrate success but “park it quickly” Fitzpatrick told the London Business Forum, “remember your losses more that your wins.”

When New Zealand lost, Fitzpatrick admitted that he was too embarrassed to venture outside. In 1993 the All Blacks were defeated by the British and Irish Lions at Wellington and it was hard to bear. At the end of the game Fitzpatrick gathered his team together in the changing room and said, “Make a mental note of the way you feel now and make sure you never feel that way again.”

Fitzpatrick’s father, Brian, also played for the All Blacks but it was never assumed that his son would follow in his footsteps. The only thing Brian Fitzpatrick insisted upon was that his children play a team sport and “enjoy it.”

A “fat little kid,” Fitzpatrick played for the worst team at his school, Sacred Heart College in Auckland, where rugby was the main sport. However, the words of his coach and accounting teacher Guy Davies proved to be inspirational for a young Fitzpatrick. All his school coach asked of his team, who lost every single game, was to individually “be as successful as you can be” and to turn up to the field with a big “attitude.”

“Attitude” is also vital as an All Black. “We liked going to work,” Fitzpatrick told the LBF and every member of the team challenged each other. He suggested that “in business we hide our weaknesses,” but as an All Black they couldn’t do that, they acknowledged them in order to help one another. This communication, he insisted, is key to building a winning team. He told the LBF that you have to be honest with one another, “in the belly, not the back,” is Fitzpatrick’s communication mantra.

What Fitzpatrick made clear is that the All Blacks cannot imagine defeat, when a player pulls on his black jersey he believes his team will leave the field victorious. “[They] harness the fear of failure,” Fitzpatrick explained and as long as they continue to do so they will continue to be feared opponents and one of the greatest sporting teams in the world.