The Christchurch crowd treated the All Blacks well after their historic defeat to Argentina, reckoned head coach Ian Foster.
“They were fantastic,” he said. This, a day after his side lost 25-18 the Pumas for the first time at home, was presented by Foster as a positive. That probably tells a story in itself.
Sometimes you see and hear what you want to see and hear. Others at Orangetheory Stadium, a ground which hasn’t hosted the national team for six years before last Saturday’s collapse, would have felt a slightly different vibe floating in the cold and still mid-winter air.
From where the media were sitting, just below the coaches’ box containing Foster and his assistants Joe Schmidt and Jason Ryan, it felt less like benevolence and understanding and more like shock and disbelief.
At the final whistle, many pairs of eyes turned towards the coaches; some accusatory, some appearing to want answers. There weren’t many of substance forthcoming, as it turns out.
There was disbelief that the All Blacks could lose after leading 18-12 and in possession of a pack which was dominating Argentina and disbelief that once they did concede the lead with just over 30 minutes remaining that they appeared to have no idea about how to get it back against a well-set defence. The second issue has become a traditional one for this team.
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And yes, once again there were failures in terms of basic skill levels, discipline and reacting quickly to the challenges presented by the referee and opposition.
Compounding it all was the sense that most of those among the 20,000 who paid to attend the Test were not used to seeing such failures and certainly not from those players in black who represent the Crusaders.
Scott Robertson, a now ever-present in the court of public and media opinion, had perhaps wisely chosen to go to Australia for a week’s holiday but his presence loomed large before the game and after it.
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His side have won six Super Rugby championships in six years, and while they’re not perfect – they make mistakes like anyone else and have even lost a few times at Orangetheory Stadium – they invariably give the impression that they are well coached.
Significantly, perhaps, the Crusaders have never lost a playoff match on that ground or anywhere else at home.
They invariably perform when it counts and they always appear to have a plan, even when put under pressure. But this doesn’t appear to be the case with Foster’s All Blacks.
There appeared to be improvements in the set piece, and Samisoni Taukei’aho’s try was a testament that the lineout drive can again become a weapon, but they regressed in other areas.
Something is clearly not right in this set-up and more and more it appears either the players don’t understand the strategies they must have agreed to, or that the plans aren't fit for purpose.
One of the features of Robertson’s teams is the energy with which they play and the clarity with which they go about their work. It’s true that he has never been tested at the highest level but there is also a sense that he would get more out of this team and that New Zealand Rugby is settling for mediocrity in continuing to back the status quo.
It may have been politically and financially expedient for NZ Rugby to publicly back Foster until the World Cup in a year’s time after that come-from-behind victory over South Africa at Ellis Park but after the Boks failed badly against the Wallabies in Adelaide before the All Blacks stumbled their way to defeat against the Pumas, that Johannesburg result looks increasingly like an aberration.
It has become difficult to second guess NZ Rugby’s decision making, but presumably Foster’s role will be untenable should the All Blacks lose again to the Pumas at Waikato Stadium on Saturday.
As it is, he and his side have won only two of their last eight Tests. They've just lost to the Pumas at home for the first time ever. It is a shocking run of results perhaps reflected in the faces of many at the ground last Saturday.
Foster himself appeared to recognise that time is running out when he said a day later: “We have got faith that some of the things we’re building are paying dividends but it needs to happen quickly - we know that.”
All the pointers suggest a revolution is required to significantly improve this team and it may take another defeat to get there.
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