At the conclusion of England’s series defeat by New Zealand last month, Steve Borthwick looked on the bright side of two narrow losses by the cumulative margin of just eight points.
Despite the national head coach’s positive outlook, you got the feeling his team missed a huge opportunity to record a statement win over an All Blacks side so used to being seemingly invincible on home soil.
That sense of one that got away was only emphasised further last Saturday when Argentina did what England couldn’t and beat New Zealand with a famous 38-30 win in Wellington.
‘They realise they’re in a cycle and this is the start of it,’ former All Blacks captain Sean Fitzpatrick told Mail Sport of his country’s class of 2024.
‘They’ve got a difficult season ahead of them. I think it’s a case of the All Blacks finding where they’re at.’
New Zealand secured a 2-0 series win over England in July, despite being there for the taking
Argentina handed the All Blacks a rare defeat on home soil with a 38-30 win on Saturday
After seeing Los Pumas win England should feel they missed a major opportunity in July
Any New Zealand defeat always prompts a degree of soul searching in the land of the long white cloud, predominantly because the team is used to being international rugby’s perennial dominant force. Only a fool would ever totally write off the All Blacks.
And yet, it seems clear they are currently more vulnerable than in years gone by as they begin a fresh dawn under enigmatic new coach Scott ‘Razor’ Robertson.
England really should have beaten New Zealand twice. Opposition sides are currently eyeing up the All Blacks believing they can be toppled. Such sentiment was previously hard to come by.
‘The All Blacks will be very disappointed with the way they executed last Saturday. The Argentinians didn’t let them get on top,’ Fitzpatrick said.
‘I do believe the team will succeed under Razor. He’s set himself a really, really tough goal. Of course he had to play the Rugby Championship. But he didn’t have to come to the UK at the end of his first season and play Japan on the way up and then England, Ireland, France and Italy this autumn.
‘That’s a very difficult run of games. But Razor wants to find out about his team. He’s challenging the players and the coaches and I think by the end of the year, they’ll be much better for it.’
Now without the likes of Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick and Aaron Smith among others – who have been mainstays of their side for so many years – New Zealand are looking to bring through a new generation of players at the start of a fresh four-year cycle. They are far from alone in doing that, but teething problems have been there for all to see.
New Zealand are at the start of a new era with coach Scott ‘Razor’ Robertson leading the way
Legends like Sam Whitelock are no longer in the side as they birth new talent into the team
Former All Black Israel Dagg described his old team’s kicking exit strategy against Argentina as ‘atrocious’ and ‘horrible.’
Scott Barrett, currently injured, has taken over the captaincy but two more experienced men in ex-skipper Sam Cane and TJ Perenara have decided to leave for lucrative Japanese moves.
New Zealand have a similar policy to England in that players must represent club teams in their homeland to also turn out for the national side. They have become used to stars leaving.
Star wing Will Jordan admitted: ‘It’s a challenge when you come together as a new group.’
Will Jordan, All Blacks star winger, has admitted that new groups offer a challenge as they gel
The All Blacks are unlikely to panic. The last two times they have lost to Argentina, they have still gone on to win the Rugby Championship – the southern hemisphere equivalent of the Six Nations which also contains South Africa and Australia. There can also be no doubting Robertson’s credentials given his extraordinary achievements with the Crusaders.
But, with back-to-back world champions South Africa still to come and then a tough European tour, further defeats are more than possible. England will be out for revenge on home soil in November. So too will the All Blacks when they again host Argentina tomorrow (SAT) morning at Eden Park – a venue they famously haven’t lost at since 1994.
Despite him soon heading to the Far East, Robertson has brought back Cane to face the Pumas this weekend.
Cane’s previous Test appearance saw him sent off in the 2023 World Cup final loss to South Africa.
New Zealand will look to avenge their loss to Argentina in their second test in Auckland
They will look to maintain their 30-year unbeaten run at Eden Park when Los Pumas come to town
New Zealand also have wider problems.
Their Under-20 side has not been as dominant as it previously has been. In fact, they have not won the Junior World Cup since 2017, suggesting their player pathway is not producing the levels of talent it once did. There are issues at grassroots level and monetary problems too.
Rugby globally is suffering from a financial crisis and New Zealand are certainly experiencing exactly that. They sold an equity stake of between five and 10 per cent to private financiers Silver Lake for £93million in 2022. Sources in New Zealand have suggested their governing body will have burned through that money by 2031.
So, while New Zealand are far from on a terminal decline, everything in the All Blacks garden is far from rosy. Their international rivals rightly sense an opportunity to upset them.
It is one they must now look to exploit.
