Ian Foster's side suffered another setback in Christchurch on Saturday night. Photo / photosport.nz
The more the All Blacks flip flop, the more they sink to historic lows, the faster any lingering fear factor disappears.
Not so long ago beating the All Blacks required overcoming a mental hurdle as much as it did producing a performance to match their breadth of skill.
These days, as a series of unwanted firsts pile up, facing the All Blacks is no longer a daunting prospect. Not even on home soil.
Three successive home losses for the first time in history is testament to that. So, too, the maiden home loss against Argentina on Saturday night that comes hot on the heels of the first home series defeat in 27 years.
Any notion of the once-touted All Blacks aura is eroding faster than rising sea levels.
These days, with two victories from their last eight tests, the All Blacks consistently lose more than they present a hurdle to conquer. From the opening whistle opposition increasingly believe – to the point we are now left to ask... what's next?
At this rate Scotland will be eyeing their first win against the All Blacks in November.
Even if the All Blacks bottle their hurt to respond in the return test against the Pumas in Hamilton this week, the looming two Bledisloe Cup assignments are far from certainties.
The Wallabies last held the Bledisloe in 2003; last won at Eden Park in 1986. Right now, such are the All Blacks' wild form fluctuations, who could confidently predict those records remain safe?
In the wake of their upset triumph at Ellis Park two weeks ago that saved Ian Foster's tumultuous coaching tenure, frustrated fans gave the All Blacks the benefit of the doubt.
Foster's continual improvement projections finally had evidence to substantiate those claims. That lasted all of a week before familiar flaws returned against the Pumas.
Despite largely dominating the Christchurch contest, with the scrum and maul setting the platform, the All Blacks crumbled in the last quarter when composure, leadership and clinical finishing deserted them against a team ranked ninth in the world.
"It seems we're taking a couple of steps forward and then one step back," Foster conceded one day after the 25-18 defeat. "That is frustrating but we've got to keep working on it."
Foster lamented the game's 26 penalties, frustrations with breakdown interpretations from overbearing Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli and the failure to adopt a kicking game, particularly in the final quarter, against the resolute Pumas defence.
"We've got to look at that last quarter and our response to teams that want to stifle us. We've done a lot of research into games we've lost in the last 10 years and there's a similar pattern in our DNA that we like to hold onto the ball and run out of trouble. It's probably a New Zealand rugby thing and we've got to sort that out. It's clearly not that easy to fix when it's your strength.
"It's a collective thing. We've got to get smarter about playing what's in front of us and showing more respect to a defensive line."
For the third time in the last four tests Foster was forced to explain why he replaced All Blacks captain Sam Cane with Akira Ioane with 15 minutes remaining, saying it continues to be a game-by-game decision.
"We felt we needed a bit more power in our carries so it was a decision to take a fetcher off and put a ball carrier on.
"Clearly he's under the spotlight. We're all under the spotlight when things don't go well but behind the scenes he's strong. I thought a lot of his tackle and breakdown work was a big shift up so we're pleased with that."
New Zealand Rugby boss Mark Robinson has reached out to Foster since the loss, and members of the nine-member board who signed off his retention through to the World Cup attended Orangetheory Stadium.
"Robbo is in Aussie at the moment, he's been in touch, and the board was here. He's deeply invested in how we go," Foster said.
"Let's face it we're all hurting. None of us like losing. The flipside is everyone is aware we're putting some new players in; we're trying to grow parts of our game we've struggled with. We were quite rightly criticised last year for getting beat up in games. We've made big shifts there but we've got to put all those lessons into one game.
"We showed we can do it in South Africa and we've got to do it in Hamilton."
Brodie Retallick will rejoin the All Blacks this week in Hamilton after completing his comeback from a broken cheekbone in Hawke's Bay's successful Ranfurly Shield defence. Props Ofa Tuungafasi and Nepo Laulala will also spend time in camp to have their injuries assessed. Foster indicated Beauden Barrett remains on track to return from his minor neck knock, too.
Yet as the All Blacks scarper from Scott Robertson country, as the walls threaten to cave in so soon after Foster convinced his bosses he is the man to lead an apparent revival, he requested New Zealand maintain faith in the team's time of need.
"Of course. That's part of my job," Foster said of expectations for scrutiny to immediately return on his role. "We just need as much support as we can get now. Everyone is hurting. If people want to get angry that's their choice but now is the time to get in behind this team.
"Right now the Championship is still in our destiny if we can pull three games together. What that means is Hamilton becomes critical."