All Blacks: International rugby emerges out of box

Their realm has been invaded and the question now is whether they can get ahead of the new entrants and rebuild their game to the extent that they once again become recognised as the undisputed leaders in the business of playing fast-tempo, innovative rugby.

Certainly, the environment feels right for them to thrive. They never looked comfortable in the old world in which teams simply looked to shut them down with a blitz defence and a targeted aerial assault.

The game wasn’t set up for them in the pre-Covid period when the Northern Hemisphere nations were colluding to influence the decision-makers within the halls of power about the shape of the game.

When mauls were virtually lawless, aerial battles a free-for-all, the defensive player afforded more rights to the tackled ball and the offside line not policed, the All Blacks were depowered and often looked a little lost.

But this new era looks tailor-made for them. It’s a world where there is more space, more fatigue and a world in which the arms race has shifted from building impregnable defensive walls to creating innovative, unpredictable attack patterns.

It’s even more basic than that – the game has changed from being anaerobic to aerobic and, in their first 80 minutes under new coach Dave Rennie, the All Blacks engendered an element of hope that they firstly recognise the new nature of the international game and that they have rebuilt an attack plan that looks fit for purpose.

Forget the execution and decision-making errors that enabled a good French team to pick up a couple of soft tries. And forget, too, the occasional difficulties the lineout had in trying to throw to the back.

These were problems linked to the inevitable rustiness that comes in the first test of the year when players are trying to adjust to one another and a new system, as well as adapting to the higher intensity of test rugby.

What really mattered was that the All Blacks used a Blitzkrieg approach at the tackled ball to produce a quality of possession that was almost unheard of.

They also didn’t defer or get sucked into the endless games of box-kick tennis the way they did last year – those prolonged phases where the game would be stuck within the 10-metre lines.

Instead, when France started to kick more in the second half, the All Blacks worked to get defensive numbers behind the ball and into the back field and then keep possession.

Their mindset was exactly as they said it would be – alive to the opportunity to keep the ball and pass and run from wherever they felt it was legitimate to do so.

They had a consistency to their attacking shape, too. A sense of organisation and purpose that suggests everyone is on the same page and that, in time, the running lines will sharpen, the passes will stick and this All Blacks team will become quite the handful.

It’s too soon to say where this will end up, but the early signs are promising. The All Blacks look to be building a style that genuinely suits their athletes and skillsets, and that they can get ahead of the curve and play at a speed that no other team can match.

The agility, explosive power and soft skills of their forward pack may be the key. Josh Lord and Sam Darry gave a solid Brodie Retallick-Sam Whitelock impression in Christchurch with their energy, ball-carrying and presence.

Peter Lakai and Ardie Savea got everywhere and their speed and mobility gave the All Blacks an ability to damage France in the widest parts of the field where some of the skill execution – pass and catch – was outrageously good.

Luke Jacobson didn’t play like an orthodox No 7, but he brought a dynamism on and around the ball, and the All Blacks look to be setting up to be able to use their speed, explosive power and neat handling to be able to run through and around opponents.

That’s their superpower – the agility, athleticism and aerobic capacity of their forwards to play across the park and pick and drive through the middle or pass and catch on the edge.

And then, of course, there was the maturity of Ruben Love, who mostly picked his options well and facilitated the attack the way the coaches wanted.

He played like he belonged in the No 10 jersey and looked like the right man to lead the revolution, even when Richie Mo’unga has served his penance and is available to play again.

There is a long way to go but the All Blacks are in a better place in a more favourable world.

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