When New Zealand Rugby decided in March to appoint Scott Robertson to take over as All Blacks coach next year, his prescribed mandate was to rejuvenate a national team that was supposedly in need of fresh ideas, different players and a new lease on life.
But in the three teststhe All Blacks have played since the coach-elect was announced, the evidence to support the rejuvenation mandate has disappeared, and Robertson may well now be best advised to re-sell his mission and promote the idea he and his new coaching group are going to be coming into the national set-up on a continuity ticket.
Certainly, if there is to be any talk of a revamp, it should be made clear it will be light-touch only.
As incumbent head coach, Ian Foster has been eager to keep saying the 2023 All Blacks remain a work in progress, as while they have produced three emphatic wins to date, each has contained elements where the performances dipped, accuracy slipped and component parts failed to function as they should.
So, too, is there a broader context to be considered about the opposition, with the trio of Argentina, South Africa and Australia in the midst of bigger-picture planning in which they are trying to find the right people and right game plans ahead of the World Cup.
Now is not the time to be getting carried away, especially with memories of Ireland’s series win last year relatively fresh and the nagging suspicion the French may go next-level at their own World Cup.
Mark Telea celebrates with Richie Mo'unga. Photo / Getty Images
But while the All Blacks remain a side with question marks continuing to hang over them, they have made such significant progress in the past six weeks to render redundant any notion they would be dead without a radical transformation.
The All Blacks’ much-needed rejuvenation is already well-advanced, and they are now a team brimming with good ideas and different thoughts about how they want to play, and there’s enough mental strength in the system to suggest they have the resilience to cope with the sort of pressure that may be coming their way.
And it’s that resilience which has enabled the team to become adept at problem-solving in real-time, which is arguably the most telling evidence they are a different beast entirely now.
Against South Africa, there was a period midway through the second half when the Boks, having sent on their bomb squad, were starting to build momentum through their ability to disrupt the All Blacks at the breakdown.
The game was just starting to slide a little out of the All Blacks’ grasp, but they found a way to adapt, to better shift the enormous bodies that were dominating that collision area and they wrestled back control of possession, played in territory they wanted to be in and stormed home with two tries.
Scott Robertson takes over as head coach of the All Blacks next year. Photo / Photosport
Again, in Melbourne, they were under duress for lengthy periods and yet found a way to hold the Wallabies out, fix up the problems they were having with regard to legally winning and retaining their own ball and blasted the Wallabies off the park in a late three-try blitz.
This is an All Blacks team with no great footprint in history, but they have climbed to number two in the rankings, have gone through their last 10 games without a defeat and have got more than a few people wondering whether they are now capable of winning the World Cup.
Their story is currently all about growth, optimism and hope, and increasingly, it’s hard to see Roberston doing anything other than mostly trying to tap into much of the existing personnel and tactical blueprints once he takes over.
A year ago, he could have taken over as All Blacks coach and delivered immediate and significant improvements by making major changes to selections and tactical adjustments, but much of that transition has already happened.
And while Robertson is a coach with a rare ability to add value, he may find it’s not so easy to make quick and obvious gains with the All Blacks he inherits, particularly now most of the team’s key players and combinations are relatively youthful, with the capacity to push through the next World Cup cycle.
Robertson will have two ready-made front rows at his disposal, three quality locks in Scott Barrett, Josh Lord and Tupou Vai’i, a collection of merging halfbacks, an obvious No. 10-in-waiting in Damian McKenzie, a midfield with growth potential in Jordie Barrett and Rieko Ioane and outside backs just about growing on trees.
His only real concern will be finding a blindside, as Shannon Frizell is off to Japan – but it is currently just for one season, and he could be persuaded to come back.
