Analysis: Head coach Scott Robertson called his team's lapses "frustrating" after the England loss, but what is causing them? Patrick McKendry has a theory.
There can be no denying now, in the wake of another All Blacks' implosion, that there is a fragility at the heart of this team that the coaches do not know how to fix.
The evidence has been there since September and the latest collapse, when they threw away a 12-point lead at Twickenham to lose 33-19, a scoreline which did not flatter England, is just the latest proof.
All Blacks fail to score 'grand slam' with 33-19 loss to England - Watch on TVNZ+
There was talk among the English media this week that the All Blacks had lost their "aura".
How important such a thing is for winning Test matches is probably up for debate, but, whatever your definition or reasoning, those scribes and broadcasters are right in one respect: this All Blacks team is just not as good as previous All Blacks teams in terms of individual players and as a collective.
Their latest meltdown came a week after they let slip a 17-0 lead against Scotland at Murrayfield.
Two months ago they led South Africa 7-0 at the Cake Tin and watched as the visitors lost several players to injury in the first half, only to concede a record 36 points after the break in a humiliating defeat notable for the streams of spectators heading for an early exit and the failure of the home side to figure out how to respond to the events happening around them.
There were few heading home early in south west London during that latter stages of their latest Test, but the common denominator remains: this team does not cope with adversity, struggles to wrest back control of a Test (Damian McKenzie’s heroics off the bench against the Scots excluded), and, relatedly, concedes points too quickly and too easily.
At the very least, the failure of this side to sweep the home nations will put scrutiny on the All Blacks’ game drivers, including Beauden Barrett, who injured his right leg at Twickenham but was too passive overall and his two missed penalty touch-finders all but handed momentum back to England, as if they needed more than one invitation.
And McKenzie, who replaced Barrett after 55 minutes, showed himself again to be a far better outside back replacement at this level than a first-five.
Barrett will turn 35 in just over six months. Two days earlier, on May 25, Richie Mo’unga, who is returning next year, will turn 32. McKenzie will turn 31 in April. It says something that Mo’unga’s stocks have surely risen over the past six months despite him not playing for the All Blacks since the 2023 World Cup final.
The All Blacks were missing tighthead prop Tyrel Lomax (hand injury) and lock Patrick Tuipulotu (shoulder) on this tour. Wing Caleb Clarke (concussion) was unavailable for this Test, and Jordie Barrett (ankle) was sent home during the Scotland week.
All four would have been gratefully selected by head coach Scott Robertson because wing Leroy Carter, who missed the tackle for Ollie Lawrence's try, clearly needs a break and, regardless, does not appear to be a long-term option, while centre Billy Proctor does not provide enough penetration on attack at this level.
Moving Leicester Fainga'anuku to the left wing to cover for Clarke was probably the most logical option but the All Blacks missed his offloading and tackle-breaking ability in the middle of the park.
There was naturally a focus on the Grand Slam failure afterwards, with Robertson saying his men wanted to emulate the class of 2010 – led by the great Richie McCaw – the last All Blacks to achieve it.
But this All Blacks team is clearly nowhere near as well-rounded or talented or as tough as a side which contained, among others, Tony Woodcock, Keven Mealamu, Jerome Kaino, Dan Carter, Ma’a Nonu and Conrad Smith, although, in fairness, this side is far less experienced.
Of the current crop, Fabian Holland (ruled out late in London due to illness), Josh Lord, Simon Parker, Peter Lakai, Wallace Sititi, Cam Roigard, Proctor, Carter, Fainga'anuku, Tamaiti Williams, Pasilio Tosi, Sam Darry and Cortez Ratima all have fewer than 30 Test caps each.
Holland, Parker, Proctor and Carter are in their first year of international rugby.
It is possible that a mix of naivety and a lack of clear direction is helping to create the lapses that this team is becoming known for. Robertson called it "frustrating" without being able to put a finger on what the issue was.
For fullback Will Jordan, used nicely in the build-up to Codie Taylor’s try and who scored the converted try which put the All Blacks within reach in the final quarter, what wasn’t said was perhaps more important than what was expressed when 1News spoke to him afterwards.
"Ultimately, we're saying the right things at halftime, it's just about going out there and executing them," Jordan said. "Momentum is going to swing in Test matches and that’s all part of it.
"I'm proud of the way we came back to 25-19 and gave ourselves a chance with 15 minutes to but the way we’re coming out of halftime and applying pressure is not where it needs to be at the moment."
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