The Breakdown team dissects the All Blacks season. Video / Sky Sport
OPINION:
The All Blacks' stuttering start to the 2020 season, and in turn, their new era, comes with a silver lining.
Professional sports are much more enjoyable when they're competitive.
This year's Tri Nations competition was a refreshing change of pace from the previous four years of dominance the AllBlacks have had in the Rugby Championship.
This year, the All Blacks lost as many matches as they did in the last four editions of the Rugby Championship combined - and that's not entirely a bad thing.
Thumbs up for competitive rugby. Photo / Photosport
In 2016 and '17, they didn't drop a game in the tournament with six wins each year, a points differential of more than 120 in their favour, and topping the points table by double digits. In 2018, they went 5-1, again with a vastly superior points differential and a double-digit lead at the top of the points table. In 2019's Championship, shortened with the World Cup later in the year, the All Blacks had a win, a loss and a draw, finishing third and going on to finish the World Cup in the same position.
Over the last World Cup cycle, the All Blacks won 18 of 21 Rugby Championship matches, with an average winning margin of 22 points.
That all gets a little boring; and it's brought with it an arrogance among fans that the All Blacks should annihilate everyone and never face any scoreboard pressure - or something to that effect.
The All Blacks won the two trophies they played for in 2020. Photo / Getty Images
That really doesn't seem like something anyone should ever expect of a team competing at the highest level of the sport. Let's not forget this was a new-look All Blacks team with plenty of young players debuting in the place of departed veterans, while a new coaching staff has taken the reins.
It's for that reason this year's tournament made for the most entertaining viewing in years, even without the presence of the world champion Springboks.
The tournament, and two proceeding Bledisloe Cup tests, provided some great sporting storylines. Their draw against the Wallabies in the opening test of the year instantly provided a reason to get excited about more fixtures between the teams, and what Dave Rennie might be able to do at the helm of the Wallabies. Even when the All Blacks convincingly won their next two matches against the Australians, there was still intrigue going into the fourth encounter – which the Wallabies ultimately won 24-22.
The next week, history was made. For the first time in 30 attempts, dating back to 1987, Argentina got one over on the All Blacks, and handed them their first back-to-back defeats since 2011. It was a moment that any sports fan could enjoy, regardless of which team they supported.
There were scenes of celebration after the Pumas win over the All Blacks. Photo / Photosport
The All Blacks went out and thrashed the Argentinians 38-0 in their next game, rebounding nicely and finishing the year on a high. It's not as if the All Blacks were blown out in their losses, with a two-point loss and a 10-point loss.
Surely it says something about the state of Southern Hemisphere rugby when a year in which they win the Bledisloe Cup and Tri Nations, lose just two of six games and have an average winning margin of 32 points, is considered a down year for the All Blacks. Yes, the Springboks weren't playing, but those results add up to a successful season for the New Zealand side.
If anything, it should be seen as a positive. The rising tide lifts all boats, and a more competitive scene in the Southern Hemisphere will only benefit the All Blacks in the long run, with the added bonus of being much more enthralling and engaging.
