Together, says All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson, we walk. But where? Largely into the unknown and into a clash in Dunedin on Saturday against a confident England side with a settled coaching team.
As Robertson was spelling out the theme in Wellington last week for his side ahead of what will be a hugely challenging 14-Test year, England counterpart Steve Borthwick would have been planning improvements based on his team’s 52-17 victory over Japan in Tokyo the previous weekend.
Robertson has to quickly bring his squad together to gel for Saturday’s Test under the roof in Dunedin only 12 days after he announced his 32-player squad.
How successfully he can do that while feeding in a game plan without overloading his players remains to be seen – and he proved during his seven hugely successful years at the Crusaders that he could create a togetherness in a squad like few others – but there is little doubt England will be confident of a historic win in Dunedin and one that perhaps could match their extraordinary victory in Wellington in 2003, a match in which Borthwick played.
Saturday’s match will, of course, also be the All Blacks’ first since their heartbreaking 12-11 World Cup final defeat to the Springboks last November, a result which left many of their players in tears.
There is another factor to consider: The last time the All Blacks played England – at Twickenham at the end of 2022 – they drew 25-25, a case of snatching a tie from the jaws of victory after they led 25-6 with nine minutes left.
And then there is the 2019 World Cup – the Red Roses knocking out the All Blacks at the semifinal stage in Yokohama.
“We understand what they can bring, and if we don’t front up and match up, it’ll be a long day,” All Blacks loose forward Ardie Savea told the Guardian earlier this week.
“That’s what happened in 2019 – we got smacked in the nose and couldn’t recover. They’ve just played Japan and have been going really well, so we need to get together quickly and rip into things. We don’t know what they’ll do this year, but for us, it is just about focusing on ourselves and making sure we nail it.”
Savea acknowledged the draw at Twickenham in their last clash meant the sides had “a little bit of history”.
And as for the World Cup final, which the All Blacks reached following an outstanding quarter-final performance against Ireland and a domination of Argentina a week later, Savea said: “It still stings a little bit.
“It’s what drives me now to keep going. It’s not a feeling you want to experience. I don’t think it hit until the chaos died down … it took a while. But you’ve got to get up, learn from it and try and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
England have been careful to train behind closed doors in Auckland since their arrival, but that is not to say they have stayed there.
Last week, they visited a West Auckland foodbank run by former All Blacks legend Sir Michael Jones, who said: "To see them come straight to the community, particularly those in need in this city, speaks volumes of who they are and their leadership."
England captain Jamie George’s comments suggest Robertson’s All Blacks may have one significant advantage and, in fact, could turn a potential weakness into a strength.
He said the team will be "taking a step into the unknown" in Dunedin and are not sure how the All Blacks will play under Robertson.
"He's had huge success with the Crusaders, so we're picking their play will probably be similar in style,” George told 1News.
Fit locks may remain a concern for Robertson but predictability won’t be.
Borthwick told media before leaving Tokyo for New Zealand: “The Blues won the Super Rugby final in tricky conditions at the weekend and I expect some of the physical confrontational style of the Blues pack to come into the New Zealand team.
“Then you look at the pace with which the Hurricanes play and the dynamism they have. And the Chiefs are tactically a very smart team. You’d imagine that’ll also be part of it.”
The Blues’ style may be more appropriate for the second Test at Eden Park a week later, one that will almost certainly be played in damp conditions.
Saturday, though? No one knows what to expect and in these overanalysed rugby times, that’s a blessing. Together we're all walking into the unknown.
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