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The All Blacks will go unbeaten now that everything is 'right' again

(Photo by Lee Warren/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

I got 2022 all wrong.

I thought this year was about how the All Blacks did against Ireland and South Africa. That they were the matches that would reveal all about this team and the men coaching them.

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Turned out those games meant nothing. The results, the performances, they were immaterial.

Don’t take my word for it, the All Blacks themselves decided that.

They decreed that losing 2-1 at home to Ireland, then being thrashed by the Springboks at Mbombela was irrelevant.

Winning at Ellis Park was the only thing we should judge them and their coaches on. That was a true reflection of their collective ability and the rest? Well, those games clearly didn’t count.

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The All Blacks, according to the All Blacks, have the right playing and coaching personnel in place and everything is right in the rugby world again.

That being the case I’d expect the team to go unbeaten for the rest of the year, especially given the modest opposition they’ll be facing.

Argentina, Australia, Japan, Wales and Scotland aren’t exactly elite sides. England can be, but appear to be suffering Eddie Jones fatigue.

And, let’s face it, nothing would change if the team lost all of those games anyway.

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No, it’s time to get behind the boys. To celebrate them and their achievements and stop harping on about the negatives.

All those people waffling on about the wrong guy being fullback, the lack of a cohesive midfield combination, a reliable first five-eighth, unbalanced loose forward trio, old locks and powderpuff props were all wrong.

Worse than that, they were whingers. Always grizzling and moaning and looking to find fault.

Why can’t they just support the team?

Well, they have my absolute backing now. Yep, I reckon they’ll win every game from here and I pledge to be first in line to congratulate them for it.

Now, I will admit the fact that results have become meaningless does take a bit of the edge off for me. I’d been tied to the old-fashioned idea that outcomes were important.

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I have to thank the All Blacks, New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and their various cheerleaders for putting me right on that.

Outcomes are only important, as we’ve seen over the last couple of weeks, when the All Blacks themselves say they’re important.

Judge us on the games that we tell you to judge us on and forget about the rest.

It doesn’t matter who the All Blacks pick to meet Argentina in Christchurch on Saturday. What matters is that this is “a new dawn’’ for the team, a time to move on from the past and embrace a bright and prosperous future.

So spare me any selection debates or conundrums. Let’s not even pretend to analyse the Pumas.

We know the All Blacks are going to win and that no-one will be accountable in the unlikely event that they don’t.

Again, without harping on about it too much, that does take something away from the contest. But NZR and the players have obviously decided test matches are pure entertainment and marketing and promotional exercises, so let’s get behind the team and their sponsors.

For years we’ve been told that All Blacks teams are process, rather than outcome, driven and this is simply the logical conclusion to that journey.

I won’t wish the players luck for Saturday, because they don’t need it. I back them to win by 50 points and look forward to congratulating them for that afterwards.

It’s a new dawn, all right.

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Comments

8 Comments
F
Former 803 days ago

Isn't sarcasm the lowest form of wit? So the All Blacks shouldn't be positive and build on heroic wins in difficult circumstances against august opposition? Geez damned if they win and damned if the loose. Nice balance Hamish.....

M
Matt 803 days ago

I bet Hamish is fun at parties.

J
Jono 803 days ago

Most fun I've had reading a RugbyPass article recently 😂

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Nickers 803 days ago

If the Foster years have taught us anything, it's that losses must be judged purely by the accumulation of learnings and how hard everyone is working. I'm actually applying this to my own life - rather than make my mortgage payments every month, I have been paying them sporadically, sometimes as infrequently as 2 out of 7. When they send me a letter saying I missed a payment and need to catch up, I send a reply about how much I'm learning from the process and how hard I'm working behind the scenes.

M
Martin 803 days ago

I’m sad I read this.

r
ross 804 days ago

Great. Satire.

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Oh no, not him again? 2 hours ago
England internationals disagree on final play execution vs All Blacks

Okay, so we blew it big time on Saturday. So rather than repeating what most people have all ready said, what do I want to see from Borthwick going forward?


Let's keep Marcus Smith on the pitch if he's fit and playing well. I was really pleased with his goal kicking. It used to be his weakness. I feel sympathy for George Ford who hadn't kicked all match and then had a kick to win the game. You hear pundits and commentators commend kickers who have come off the bench and pulled that off. Its not easy. If Steve B continues to substitute players with no clear reason then he is going to get criticised.


On paper I thought England would beat NZ if they played to their potential and didn't show NZ too much respect. Okay, the off the ball tackles certainly stopped England scoring tries, but I would have liked to see more smashing over gainlines and less kicking for position. Yes, I also know it's the Springbok endorsed world cup double winning formula but the Kiwi defence isn't the Bok defence, is it. If you have the power to put Smith on the front foot then why muzzle him? I guess what I'm saying is back, yourself. Why give the momentum to a team like NZ? Why feed the beast? Don't give the ball to NZ. Well d'uh.


Our scrum is a long term weakness. If you are going to play Itoje then he needs an ogre next door and a decent front row. Where is our third world class lock? Where are are realible front row bench replacements? The England scrum has been flakey for a while now. It blows hot and cold. Our front five bench is not world class.


On the positive side I love our starting backrow right now. I'd like to see them stick together through to the next world cup.


Anyway, there is always another Saturday.

7 Go to comments
C
CO 2 hours ago
Scott Robertson responds to criticism over All Blacks' handling errors

Robertson is more a manager of coaches than a coach so it comes down to intent of outcomes at a high level. I like his intent, I like the fact his Allblacks are really driving the outcomes however as he's pointed out the high error rates are not test level and their control of the game is driving both wins and losses. England didn't have to play a lot of rugby, they made far fewer mistakes and were extremely unlucky not to win.


In fact the English team were very early in their season and should've been comfortably beaten by an Allblacks team that had played multiple tests together.


Razor has himself recognised that to be the best they'll have to sort out the crisis levels of mistakes that have really increased since the first two tests against England.


Early tackles were a classic example of hyper enthusiasm to not give an inch, that passion that Razor has achieved is going to be formidable once the unforced errors are eliminated.


That's his secret, he's already rebuilt the passion and that's the most important aspect, its inevitable that he'll now eradicate the unforced errors. When that happens a fellow tier one nation is going to get thrashed. I don't think it will be until 2025 though.


The Allblacks will lose both tests against Ireland and France if they play high error rates rugby like they did against England.


To get the unforced errors under control he's going to be needing to handover the number eight role to Sititi and reset expectations of what loose forwards do. Establish a clear distinction with a large, swarthy lineout jumper at six that is a feared runner and dominant tackler and a turnover specialist at seven that is abrasive in contact. He'll then need to build depth behind the three starters and ruthlessly select for that group to be peaking in 2027 in hit Australian conditions on firm, dry grounds.


It's going to help him that Savea is shifting to the worst super rugby franchise where he's going to struggle behind a beaten pack every week.


The under performing loose forward trio is the key driver of the high error rates and unacceptable turn overs due to awol link work. Sititi is looking like he's superman compared to his openside and eight.


At this late stage in the season they shouldn't be operating with just the one outstanding loose forward out of four selected for the English test. That's an abject failure but I think Robertson's sacrificing link quality on purpose to build passion amongst the junior Allblacks as they see the reverential treatment the old warhorses are receiving for their long term hard graft.


It's unfortunately losing test matches and making what should be comfortable wins into nail biters but it's early in the world cup cycle so perhaps it's a sacrifice worth making.


However if this was F1 then Sam Cane would be Riccardo and Ardie would be heading into Perez territory so the loose forwards desperately need revitalisation through a rebuild over the next season to complement the formidable tight five.

28 Go to comments
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