The All Blacks celebrate after beating the Springboks in the second test. Photo / Photosport
The All Blacks celebrate after beating the Springboks in the second test. Photo / Photosport
Winston Aldworth rates every All Black who featured in the first five tests of the year.
Nepo Laulala
That offload! Under your own posts! Had the misfortune to be immediately isolated and targeted by the clever Irish attack after that key fumble in the second test. The Irish gave hima bit of a masterclass in what a modern, mobile prop can do. 3
Karl Tu'inukuafe
He's not going to be around for next year's Rugby World Cup, but NZ Rugby invested heavily to keep the biggest of the big boppers on board for the express purpose of containing the Irish and Bok frontrows. A questionable return. 3
Had the better of the Irishmen in the first test, but paid the selectorial price when lack of mobility was shown up as the series went on. 3
Angus Ta'avao
His four-minute run that ended with a red card for ropey tackling technique was one of the defining points of the Irish series. Struggles continued against the Boks. 3
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The young buck of the post-2011 era is now long in the tooth. He's given a lot to the black jersey in a celebrated international career that might be winding down. 3
Patrick Tuipolotu
Back into the fray after spending time offshore. The athleticism he shows at Super Rugby level hasn't fully translated upwards into the black jersey. He was there in Chicago the day the All Blacks first lost to Ireland and he ran on the field as a substitute when the Irish won their first test in Aotearoa. Least favourite colour: Green. 4
Dalton Papalii
Odd selection at No 6 did him no favours and it can't have been pleasant knowing that his best chance of getting the No 7 jersey would require a calamitous run of results. 4
The current big-ticket league convert made his All Blacks debut as hopes of salvaging the Ireland series faded in a storm of green jerseys. He's a promising prospect in the midfield confusion. 4
Akira Ioane
Akira Ioane in action in the third test against Ireland. Photo / Photosport
Stood up well against the Irish in defeat at the Cake Tin, but most talked about contribution came in a light-night face off with Sky commentator Justin Marshall. Faded against the Boks. Has had many chances to put his name on the No 6 jersey. It still seems to be up for grabs. 4
Tupou Vaa'i
Showed athleticism carrying the ball when he got game time in the decider against Ireland after Scott Barrett was a late injury withdrawal. The pack was lacking menace. 4.5
Aidan Ross
Piled into the action after coming off the bench in a losing cause in Dunedin. Injured before he could get a run in the third test. 4.5
Folau Fakatava
On a hometown debut at Forsyth Barr, the well-pumped halfback ran on the field with what was surely the most dramatic All Blacks haircut of the colour television age. As the forward effort began to unravel, Fakatava had few opportunities to show the snappy spark and strong dash that are his trademark. Must be well behind Finlay Christie in the pecking order. 4.5
Pita Gus Sowakula
Couple of handling whoopsies - including one on his first touch of the ball in test rugby. But the big guy showed enough go-ahead to be in the frame for No 8 duties just in case, y'know, the selectors decide to do radical things with the loose trio. 4.5
Quinn Tupaea
Showed he can be a safe pair of hands in the unsettled debate about the No 12 jersey. Unlikely to break a game open. 4.5
Codie Taylor
Codie Taylor at the back of a maul. Photo / Photosport
Veteran showed he has a role to play off the bench, but will need to rule out those moments of inaccuracy. 4.5
A powerful force in Super Rugby, the big fella had a tough time of it against Ireland after some bright moments in the first test. Struggled to get into the action later and was hit with an unfortunate yellow card. 4.5
Sevu Reece
Moments of menace in the first test against Ireland, but hard to see him cutting ahead of the quality of Clarke and Jordan in the selectors' vision. 4.5
Will Jordan
The man with the killer strike rate looked great on the rare occasions when things opened up for him, but was often silenced in the battering ram clashes demanded by Ireland and South Africa. Looked panicked in Mbombela, precise in Jo'burg. 5
Finlay Christie
Bright and zippy. Brought urgency and an eye for the gap to the field when replacing frontrunner Smith. 6
Shannon Frizell
Showed at Ellis Park glimpses of the athletic beast the selectors have been looking for in the No 6 jersey ever since the twilight of Jerome Kaino. To have a shot at owning the jersey, he'll have to be switched on all the time. 6
Beauden Barrett
Beauden Barrett runs at the Springboks defence. Photo / Photosport
Denied space in the inside channels by the Irish, who wrote the book on containing Barrett years ago. The world's best impact player looked at his finest when taking the ball in broken play from the back of the field. 6
David Havili
The No 12 who looked so complete and zippy when running alongside Richie Mo'unga in the Super Rugby final returned to full effect at Ellis Park when his Crusaders mate got a first start in the black No 10 jersey. It wasn't always great in between and the No 12 jersey is still far from settled. 6
Fletcher Newell
A memorable debut in the white-hot finale at Ellis Park, where he joined the fray after the vaunted Springbok "Bomb Squad" had taken the field and settled into the business. Held his nerve. His nerve, and the scrum, held. 6
Brodie Retallick
With his smart eye for the game and surprisingly slick hands, the big lock has often been the first-receiver hinge on which many All Black attacks swing. The Irish shut that down, and in the second and third tests their big, super-mobile units overshadowed ours. Departed with a broken cheekbone after being belted in a head-to-head knock in the third test. 6
George Bower
With the All Black bosses unsure whether they wanted Beast Mode props or broad-chested ballet dancers, Bower was somewhere between the two. Distributed well and got his body into the defensive fray, while his side of the scrum was seldom a disaster. 6.5
Sam Whitelock
Can still be a lineout ace as he showed at Eden Park, but was badly outshaded in the second and third Irish test matches. Performances improved when new forwards coach Jason Ryan got hold of the training cones - or was it just that the Irish were no longer around? 6.5
Rieko Ioane
Rieko Ioane with the man of the match award after the All Blacks' victory at Ellis Park. Photo / Photosport
Had his best run at Ellis Park, where he showed how dangerous he can be with ball in hand and defended smartly, but in earlier tests the Blues man often looked miscast in the No 13 jersey. Good centres take time to grow. The Irish attackers were very good at leading All Blacks defenders around the park to set up defensive mismatches. 6.5
Jordie Barrett
A good show in the air at Ellis Park, but missed a few that mattered equally as much in the earlier matches. 6.5
Sam Cane
No All Black No 7 has had their work in defence so thoroughly analysed on YouTube as the embattled skipper (file that under "sentences TP McLean never had to write"). Some of those reviews were harsh, but he's a smart player whose commitment to the cause is never in doubt. That try at Ellis Park will have counted for much, but over these five tests the All Black opensider will know his side was beaten more often than not because they couldn't command the breakdown. Biggest moment: Foster pulling him from the field with his team in the maw of defeat - it simply would not have happened to Richie McCaw. 6.5
Caleb Clarke
A starting certainty when fit, the biggest and best of the All Blacks wingers showed his usefulness in the heavy clashes that are likely to determine the path through knockout matches at next year's Rugby World Cup. It helps, too, that he can skin a defender and blast his way into space. 7
Scott Barrett
Scott Barrett takes the lineout ball. Photo / Photosport
The lock-cum-blindsider went into these five tests as a man in danger of falling between two stools. He delivered well in both roles, but was outmatched by the Irish secondrowers, particularly the game-savvy Peter O'Mahony. With the Whitelock-Rettalick axis entering its second decade as the foundation stone of the pack, can Barrett command a spot at No 6? Top effort in the final test. 7
Tyrel Lomax
In what has suddenly become a problem position for the All Blacks, Lomax performed well at scrumtime and was diligent in mauling duties. 7.5
Aaron Smith
His pass is a slick as ever and he is always right there - a brilliant reader of the game. The best All Black halfback of all time seldom has a go himself. His best two outings were in the first test against Ireland and the second one against the Boks - aka, the two matches where his pack had the rumble going on. Could a scrappier No 9 make more of the match when the pack is struggling? 7.5
Ethan de Groot
Looked right at home in the heat of Ellis Park, and probably should have been with the squad earlier. Sterner challenges await over the next 14 months, but don't be surprised if the selectors back de Groot to face the gnarliest of them. 8
Richie Mo'unga
Like Lima Sopoaga before him, the Crusader laid down a marker at Ellis Park, showing his knack for a tidy game plan and organisation (not forgetting the rough intercept). His style contrasts greatly from the other notable No 10 contender. 8
Samisoni Taukei'aho
A disjointed forward pack began to find shape as the broad-shouldered rake grew in confidence in the No 2 jersey. Hit his mates in the lineout, hit his rivals in the breakdowns and hit beyond the gainline every time. Looks like the centrepiece of the All Blacks front row for the next few years is confirmed. 8
Ardie Savea
Ardie Savea evades a tackle. Photo / Photosport
In defeat, in victory and in the wildly confusing moments in between, Ian Foster's No 8 was never short of excellent. The jersey which has so often been the cornerstone of New Zealand rugby's proudest moments was again at the cutting edge of all that was good, doing so much to create space and opportunities for his teammates. Never relenting, always alert and always wanting the ball; Savea is all that is good about Kiwi footy. Take him out of these five tests, and Foster would be gone. 9
