Well, you have to hand it to Ian Foster for keeping his nerve, at least.
After days, if not weeks, of conjecture he has named the same starting line-up to play the Pumas in Hamilton, a vote of confidence in men such as Richie Mo’unga and Sam Cane in particular.
Despite the outside pressure to remove Mo'unga in favour of the fit-again Beauden Barrett, a hugely influential figure in this team, Foster has resisted it, along with the predictable calls to remove Cane.
And Foster deserves credit for that. The Cane decision wasn't a complete surprise - his talking to the media on Tuesday in his capacity of captain suggested that would be the case, but Mo'unga, who may feel he hasn't always had Foster's backing, may enter into that territory.
But all Foster's talk of rebuilding, already tenuous given his long involvement with the team and the lack of a huge rotation in terms of playing personnel since he took over following the 2019 World Cup, would have been made to look ridiculous if he had thrown away last week’s team sheet in a desperate search for something different.
He has backed his skipper Cane to the hilt and will likely continue to do so come what may. Fair enough. He has also supported Mo’unga, who had played so well in Johannesburg, but had – like many of his teammates – an off night against Argentina in Christchurch last weekend.
And here is the crux of the matter. Last week’s selection was the first time in four years the All Blacks ran out with the same starting XV.
READ MORE: Bench changes reflect ABs' poor finish against Pumas - Foster
To put Beauden Barrett back in the No.10 jersey and, for example, Dalton Papali’i in at No.7 while changing the captaincy, would have rendered all the talks of incremental improvements absolute nonsense, although Foster must have thought long and hard about it before deciding not to send Brodie Retallick straight back on his return from injury.
That in turn would have allowed him to select Scott Barrett at blindside flanker, which the head coach clearly believes is his best position in this team.
There is no shift to fullback for Will Jordan, desperately under-used in Christchurch, nor is there a move for Aaron Smith, a halfback who presumably has been told to present more of a threat as a ball carrier in order to release pressure on his inside backs.
A midfield of David Havili and Rieko Ioane, somehow less than the sum of their considerable parts in terms of talent, has survived. There is again no room for Sevu Reece or Roger Tuivasa-Sheck, to name only two.
The All Blacks, desperately searching for consistency, are, at least, consistent in their approach.
And yet, there is a feeling now that Foster has now nailed his colours to the mast. He clearly wants extra time with this line-up to allow Joe Schmidt’s influence as attack coach to shine through, but if it fails again there can be no excuses, and, probably, no sympathy.
The public pile-on should the All Blacks lose again will be unprecedented – worse, perhaps, than when the All Blacks lost their 2007 World Cup quarter-final to France in Cardiff.
That defeat was the equivalent of a boxer’s flash knockdown – unexpected and over quickly. This series of results points to a team of talented individuals in decline and a coaching group short of ideas. It has become ugly, almost a bloodbath, and the response will reflect that.
With back-up hooker Codie Taylor the only real casualty for the meek second-half performance against the Pumas at Orangetheory Stadium, the outrage from a section at the public still in disbelief at the All Blacks winning only two of their last eight Tests will presumably be more than New Zealand Rugby and Foster can withstand.
It may get uglier yet and a revolution may be coming, but Foster has stood firm.
Whatever happens on Saturday night will be significant for Foster and the All Blacks, and so, before then at the very least, his stance should be respected, if not understood.
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