Editorial: The fear is gone - loss in Paris blow to All Black aura

France's Roman Ntamack celebrates after scoring his team's second try against the All Blacks, at the Stade de France, in Saint Denis, north of Paris. Photo / AP

Editorial

Was Sunday the day when the All Blacks' fearsome, intimidating aura finally disappeared?

It has been fading in and out, a flickering flame, for the past four years since the drawn series against the British and Irish Lions tour in 2017.

New Zealand's proud national rugby team has since then lost to Australia (three times), South Africa (twice), Ireland (twice), England, Argentina and now France.

Over the same period, New Zealand have also beaten all those sides but that's the standard expected of the All Blacks' long history and normal status as the benchmark team, with a winning percentage of more than 75 per cent and three World Cups to their name.

The past two games against Ireland and France have been notable for the tremendous heights the opposition teams reached. They played out of their skins and the contests were great advertisements for the sport.

In the match against France, the 'All Blacks' as we have traditionally known them appeared to be the men in blue. Last week in Dublin they were the men in green.

Les Bleus were the better team in both the forwards and backs during their 40-25 victory. The All Blacks changed their tactics and fought back to within two points during the second half but in the end it was a hiding. France absorbed the pressure and regained dominance at the end when New Zealand usually put sides away. No one could say New Zealand deserved to sneak a win.

New Zealand are now essentially one of five teams - with the Springboks, France, Ireland and England - capable of beating each other in any game.

They are back with the pack, capable of looking dominated, exposed, rattled and anything but intimidating for long periods in games.

On one hand that's good for the overall sport - but it's concerning for All Black fans.

The code to beating the All Blacks has been cracked and passed around. There's no fear factor now.

If they can be monstered up front, and have their space and time reduced, they can be harried into making mistakes under pressure and their backline threat is diminished.

Unlike South Africa and the northern teams, New Zealand are struggling to produce consistent, effective ball-carrying forwards. They can do it in patches, as the lead-up work to a couple of the All Blacks' tries yesterday showed.

Yes, there have been mitigating factors. The players and their management are at the end of a long, tiring tour, with months spent away from their families. The pandemic seclusion has made it harder than normal. Australia and South Africa have also battled on their northern sojourns.

Yet there is still a difference between this situation and the usual end-of-season fatigue.

What is most concerning is that these problems have been known about for years and remain unfixed. Opponents have figured out how to take advantage of them but New Zealand rugby has been unable to shut the door.

Are the problems about tactics, selections, personnel, coaching, team culture? New Zealand sides can certainly play with physicality - there was nothing frothy about the clash between Waikato and Tasman for provincial supremacy on Saturday.

A chance to conduct a full debrief and refresh the team's direction in a daring way was missed after the last World Cup two years ago, and the head coach has been reappointed to take the side to the next tournament in France.

Anyone can learn from mistakes - but time is running out to turn it around before a return date in Paris in September, 2023, in the World Cup.