A team of 15 will win games, not just one man.
And to a certain extent that is true.
If one man took on 15 there could only be one winner.
But the addition, or loss, of one player can make a big difference in a rugby side.
That was never more clearly illustrated at Newlands Stadium in Cape Town on Sunday morning.
And we are just not talking about the energetic bloke in the No 7 black jersey.
Richie McCaw's return to the All Black jersey has certainly galvanised the side.
McCaw's presence seems to lift those around him, and he was well ahead of his opposite, Schalk Burger, in Cape Town.
But the absence of Springbok hooker and captain John Smit from the home team had a huge impact on Sunday.
It was the Springboks of a few years ago.
Silly little errors, a running battle with the referee - which they were never going to win - and lots of near misses.
Victor Matfield may be viewed by many as the best lock in the world, but he is nowhere near being the best captain.
He was like the school bully, picking on the tiny wee boy who always does his homework, and has his garters in fine working order.
The only problem was the man he was trying to bully was the school principal, referee Matt Goddard, and the Australian whistler did not mind handing out detentions.
Matfield was in a time machine, and thought he was back in the 1970s, when it was hard to differentiate between the South African team and the referee in home tests.
Smit may not be the greatest hooker who has walked this earth, but his captaincy brings so much to the side.
He keeps his players' emotions in check, has the ability to read a game and know when to approach the referee and do it in a reasonably well mannered way.
It is not to go up and wave your arms vigorously, and point out to Goddard exactly what he is doing wrong, as Matfield did.
If Smit had played, there would have been more of a measured approach from the men in green, not the helter-skelter strategy the Springboks slipped into.
No wonder the South Africans were calling for something akin to the death penalty when Smit was injured in Wellington and forced out of the Tri-Nations.
They knew what a huge loss he would be, and so it has proved.
Smit's absence has left a gaping hole in the home side, which the visitors exploited.
It was a quality performance from the All Blacks.
The accuracy at the breakdown was first class, and their defence was top notch.
Dan Carter had a rare off day but luckily his wonky boot did not cost the All Blacks.
Jimmy Cowan did all that was asked of him, while Piri Weepu was the same.
To keep the World Cup champion scoreless at home was certainly an achievement, and the debacle at Sydney, just three weeks ago, seems like another lifetime.
Now we have to wait another month to play our last game in the Tri-Nations.
Whoever dreamed up this Tri-Nations draw certainly never heard of the word momentum.
