Of their six tests to date, four of them have been genuine tests. The Lions series and the second encounter against the Wallabies in Dunedin demanded that the All Blacks dig deep, execute well and perform under pressure. Mistakes were punished in those four tests and there were consequences to the All Blacks not getting things right.
They have been brought back to reality and not before time because there were a number of relatively new players brought into the side last year who must have been wondering whether test football was being oversold to them.
A few of the new boys must have been thinking it wasn't really what they thought it would be - that it was missing some of the bite they were expecting.
Some of the more experienced hands may also have been lulled into seeing a false picture - of being lured into thinking the All Blacks had maybe cracked through some magic ceiling to operate at a new level.
But it's becoming apparent as this season progresses that what really happened in 2016 was that the Springboks, Wallabies and Pumas were all, for different reasons, miles behind where they should have been.
The All Blacks did play good football, did have some spectacular moments of brilliance but so much of that was because they were allowed to. It was fun to rampage through the Rugby Championship like that, but it wasn't what a young, inexperienced team needed.
Think of how much adversity the 2011 and 2015 World Cup-winning All Blacks encountered on their journey to being champions.
What was tied up in the 800-plus caps of Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Ma'a Nonu, Conrad Smith, Keven Mealamu and Tony Woodcock was exposure to a multitude of scenarios.
To become the players they were, they had to relentlessly encounter opponents who tested them to the full.
They had to learn how to cope with teams that rushed them on defence; with teams that had a huge set-piece focus; with teams that could kick and chase to the extent of putting them under intolerable pressure.
It's tough games that grow good players and make good teams and the truth about last year is that it was a bit of a waste on time on that front. Of the 14 tests the All Blacks played, they were barely under pressure.
The Wallabies managed to deliver 60 good minutes at Eden Park and that was really it, until the end of year tour where Ireland and France came hard and fast.
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has hinted strongly in recent months that this year has been considerably more valuable than last in terms of shaping and readying his side for the next World Cup.
The speed of the Lions defence has opened the players' and coaching staff's eyes to what could be coming their way. It made them realise that they need to get better at finding space against linespeed and challenged them to improve their skill execution under pressure.
The Wallabies played with such pace and awareness that the All Blacks now realise how much better they have to be at shutting down space and how much more accurate they have to be on attack as it was the looseness of their work in that area that opened the door for the Wallabies at times.
The Pumas will no doubt challenge the All Blacks at scrum time and look to hit hard around the fringes of the ruck, while the Boks could prove to be the toughest opponent the All Blacks face this year.
They seem to have developed the dual ability to be narrow and expansive and their skill execution has jumped. They won't die wondering as they did last year and the next two weeks could be huge for the All Blacks - yet more demanding, tense battles that take them to the edge.
