Are the All Blacks in trouble?

Or should the question be in how much trouble are they?

Take out Jordie, Ardie and Will Jordan, what's left? I don't know enough about NZ rugby to know if these are the best players they have, or if Razor is just not selecting the best players they have. But it's looking dire. This week the ref very quickly shut down the lineout shenanigans and lying all over the breakdowns that we saw last week, and suddenly they struggled to keep up. All their backs with the exception of Jordie who had 11/2 missed a third or more of their tackles. Dmac no longer belongs on a test field - again missing more tackles than he made while adding nothing on attack.

In fact, both teams' defense were terrible today, low 70% tackle success. Only the Boks had the bite to turn that into points in the second half, though.

I know, this is the kind of result that almost goes down as a fluke, and next time both these teams take the field they start with a clean sheet and a brand new challenge and opportunity again. But man, these All Blacks look flaky and I don't see a lot of saviours waiting in the wings.

Yes, it is not just a coaching problem. The player depth in New Zealand is not as good as it used to be.

On their day, they can beat any team at any venue - but they lack the consistency of the traditional All Black teams from 1995-2016. They are also no longer a team that finishes stronger than they started a match.

The referee on the day has a major impact on their performance.

Yes, and it's not just a passing storm! It's a full-blown crisis.

New Zealand suffered their heaviest test defeat ever, a 43 to 10 loss to South Africa on home soil. That 33 point margin is the largest in All Blacks history. The Springboks scored 36 unanswered points in the second half alone, thus exposing glaring weaknesses in New Zealand's game.

Defensively, the All Blacks were porous. Except for Jordie Barrett, every back missed at least a third of their tackles. Damien McKenzie, in particular, struggled both defensively and offensively, raising questions about his place in the squad.

In contrast, South Africa's forwards dominated the set pieces and breakdowns, areas where New Zealand has usually excelled. The All Blacks' inability to adapt when the game tightened suggests a deeper issue with resilience and adaptability.

While New Zealand Rugby has reported a 6% increase in player registrations from 2023 to 2024, with notable growth in women's and girls' participation, the overall numbers remain below pre-pandemic levels. Additionally, challenges persist in engaging young male players, with some clubs facing closures due to financial constraints.

This defeat isn't just a blip... it's a reflection of systemic issues within New Zealand rugby. The All Blacks' current performance underscores the need for a comprehensive review of player development, selection policies, and the overall rugby ecosystem in the country.

Only Jordan and Savea would make the Bok team….Razor has drawn the short straw. I’d get Schmidt back for the run to RWC 2027.

For a start, they need to allow their players to play abroad and be selected for the ABs without having to have played 50 games for the ABs first. The Bok's fortunes changed the moment we did away with that stupidity.

Next, they need to figure out a way to either improve SR drastically, or somehow also get involved in Europe...heavens knows how they'd achieve that.

Well, I guess the inclusion of some of the SA teams not currently in URC into SR might be a workable solution. Finances etc aside, the downside for them there is that it means that even more SA teams play at a higher level. So, it'll benefit Kiwi rugby, but it'll make SA even stronger.

Lol, the DMac myth finally being exposed for what it is. He's the DDA of All Black rugby. How long is it now that some of us have been saying his hype doesn't match his performances? It's been years.

For me, Jordan is the only back in that side that I'd have in the Boks.

Would be nice to hear from some Kiwis what their thoughts are.

Besides D Mac, I think they do have some class players….. They are definitely on a low morale, but it can change very quickly.

Razor is struggling to build confidence/ self belief in his squad. Not sure how he will change that….. but if he can somehow build morale more, this team will play much better.

So right now I don’t think it’s all doom and gloom. They need to take it step by step.

Yeah look, a result like today's is almost like a glitch in the system. After 60 minutes there was only 7 points in it, hugely competitive, and then it just blew out. Like a close sprint where one guy pulls a hammy and suddenly he just can't run anymore.

So it's not all doom and gloom. I mean even the Boks were patchy all year until today. Difference is we seem to have hit on a combination of younger players that can do the job and do it spectacularly, and will only get better the more they play together.

The All Blacks don't seem to be making any progress nor have much depth - fuck it, they're struggling to scratch two decent wings together, having to tolerate Dmac just to get Jordan onto a wing with a rookie at the other. We'll see how they go against Oz.

Agreed it was a bit like the Aussie blow out of the Boks in the second half in the first match. But made more serious by the lack of obvious fixes from a player perspective

The AB’s are fine - the competition around them is strong.

They were still well into the game today with 20 to go

No side will ever dominate the game again as was the case in the past

The top 8 sides are close, we need Wales to get back on track like Oz have

You’re all being far too hard singling out DMac. He did just fine in the first half and claimed some great takes under pressure. The whole team fell apart in the 2nd half and you try playing fullback in that scenario!

I’m suspicious that Razor has “lost the room” as the whole team’s defence was gutless in the 2nd half and with 15 mins to play none of the ABs looked at all interested in being on the park!

I think I said a few weeks ago that I get the feeling that there is some discontent in the side. Definitely looked like they were giving up towards the end there.