In last weekend's victory over the Springboks, there were sparks of the old combativeness and signs of strategy and structure to inspire hope. Foster has great players in his ranks and all of them become greater when they pull on the sport's most famous jersey.
Our sports writers and analysts will continue their excellent work keeping the public informed about the All Blacks, studying their performances, and bringing criticism where warranted. After all, an excellent All Blacks team is the birthright of all New Zealanders.
There are many things that Kiwis do well. We have produced great innovators in science, the arts, agriculture, and social development. Our authors have bagged the Booker Prize, our auteurs have claimed Oscars and our athletes have graced the top dais on their sports' biggest stages. But there is only one thing we have done for more than a century at such a ridiculously high standard that the rest of the world regards us as the benchmark for excellence – rugby.
With the advent of the fully professional game in 1996, other nations were bound to close the gap on All Black excellence. The surprise is that it's taken so long for the likes of Ireland to first look us in the eye and, more recently, to knock us over. The material resourcing and player depth of Northern Hemisphere nations means the 2023 Rugby World Cup will be the most fiercely contested to date.
We know the All Blacks players and coaching staff will do everything they can to win the title for us. Their desire and effort have never been in doubt.
Foster's next assignments – Argentina and Australia – will bring unique challenges, but neither will play quite to the All Black weaknesses that were exposed first by Ireland and later by South Africa. The end-of-year tour match against England will bring a stern test of the team's development, particularly the work of forwards coach Jason Ryan.
Now it is time to get behind the coach and his charges.
