How the All Blacks lost their invincible aura: Second best at the World Cup and a shock defeat by Argentina… but England must watch out for these three Kiwis

A cloak of invincibility surrounded the All Blacks for so long that it felt as if their dominance would last forever.

But in recent years, South Africa have defended their world title, Ireland have recorded historic back-to-back wins against them and Argentina have defeated the All Blacks in their own backyard.

So as they begin their tour of the Northern Hemisphere, the question is: does the current crop have the aura of formidable sides from the past?

There was a time when their swagger and confidence meant opponents were defeated before a ball was kicked or passed.

The intimidation of the haka prior to the match certainly played a role in this. But now New Zealand’s opponents sense an opportunity that wasn’t there before.

“I think a lot of teams will look at New Zealand and think they can win,” former All Blacks captain Sean Fitzpatrick told Mail Sport. ‘It’s the start of a new cycle for the team. There are many positive signs, but the point is that this generation of new players is learning how to close games.

“Game management has been a problem. As a New Zealander I don’t like losing games, but that’s Test rugby at the moment. The All Blacks will not remain unbeaten for eighteen games as in the past. Even today’s Springboks won’t do that.’

Some were more scathing.

“Something strange has happened to New Zealand,” former Ireland wing Shane Horgan said earlier this year. ‘That complete aura that felt like invincibility is not there as it was. It’s just not that. Let’s keep them in while we can.’

Horgan’s comments may have been exaggerated considering New Zealand knocked Ireland out of the World Cup last year. The All Blacks didn’t become a bad team overnight.

On Saturday, the magnetism and mystique of the most famous team in international rugby will see Twickenham sold out for their clash with England. And their rebuild, carried out by new head coach Scott ‘Razor’ Robertson, will leave the hosts fully confident they can win.

But coming up with that is one thing. Doing it is something else. The All Blacks are still a powerful weapon.

“The All Blacks have lost a lot of experience and key players, which cannot be understated,” said Conrad Smith, two-time World Cup winner with New Zealand in 2011 and 2015. “It was always going to be a rebuild to some extent. . You can look at the way they have lost games and be critical of that. But a lot of that comes down to experience.

“These games in November will be a continuation of that learning curve. The teams I played on had the advantage of not really going through a major rebuild. I never felt like we couldn’t lose, that’s for sure! But I know what people mean by the image of the team, because we had so much trust and belief in each other.

‘You have to earn that through experience. In terms of talent, I can’t fault them. This year New Zealand lost the Tests, but they are still a team I enjoy watching. I would be much more disappointed if they lose and also don’t create chances or score tries. That is not the case.

“That’s what I like about the All Blacks. We have come to expect both entertainment and victories. But it takes time to get the whole package, especially at the international level.”

The New Zealand squad to face England will feature superstars like Beauden Barrett, Will Jordan and Ardie Savea. But there is no doubt that Robertson has had no choice but to give the next generation a chance after succeeding Ian Foster.

The likes of Aaron Smith, Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick have all now moved on.

“To some extent it was Razor’s choice as to who he played this year,” Fitzpatrick said. “What he has done is say: ‘Give us the toughest year in year one of the World Cup cycle’, because by the end of the season he will know where the team has holes.

‘He gave Damian McKenzie a great run at the age of 10 but decided that’s not the way he wants it and is ready to move back to Barrett. They have a great front row. There are no problems there.

‘If you watch the Rugby Championship in the summer, the home defeat to Argentina is undoubtedly disappointing. But they played two games with South Africa in South Africa against clearly the best team in the world.

‘They could very well have won one, if not both games. The pressure in New Zealand is the same as it has ever been. The players have to understand that.’

Despite their rebuild, New Zealand were still too good for England on home soil in July. They won the series 2-0. Steve Borthwick’s side probably should have won both games and will no doubt be hopeful that home advantage will help them turn the tables. But conversely, the All Blacks should now be more accustomed to Robertson’s methods.

New Zealand defeated Eddie Jones’ Japan 64-19 in Yokohama. Their best players missed that match with England in mind, players like Barrett traveled to Britain early to acclimatise and ensure they are in the best possible shape for the highly anticipated match in London.

“You have to realize that New Zealand has new coaches and many players have not been coached by Razor before,” Fitzpatrick said.

‘It’s a different style of play under a new management team. The demands placed on the players are new for some, especially in terms of expectations.

‘This autumn New Zealand will play three weeks in a row against three of the best teams in the world. It’s how they deal with it. What happens if they lose to England? They will then play Ireland on a Friday evening in Dublin. Ireland will wait for that. They haven’t forgotten what happened at the World Cup. Then they have France.

‘I love it. As rugby fans we want competition and I think we will get that this autumn. Don’t get me wrong, I like it when New Zealand wins.

‘I expect that from them and they are good enough for it. People need to understand that the All Blacks are rebuilding, but the fans don’t like that!

‘I was very impressed with England in the summer. Both teams are quite young, so for me it’s about who makes the fewest mistakes. It will be a very exciting match.’