The All Blacks will wake up this morning prepared for a review session few would have expected at this point of the season, and fewer will be looking forward to.
Saturday night was an opportunity for this team to demonstrate it had found its groove following two tough contests against England and a jaunty American marketing romp-a-thon against Fiji.
Instead, the Pumas rolled into town looking like they had purchased a copy of the All Blacks gameplan at the Duty Free.
There was barely a moment in the test during which the Pumas didn't know exactly what was coming. They seemed to flood the space between players, all in expectation that the short ball would be popped, or a ball would be battered back from a kick, or a player would be isolated on the floor. When the New Zealanders flexed their muscles, the Argentines said, "hold my malbec".
Just as it was in the England series, the All Blacks could never quite break the opposition apart. This recurring theme would suggest there is a lack of clarity in how the home side is trying to play the game. It wasn't as if there weren't good moments, it's just with each of them there appears to be an expectation that the next one is a given. That's not how test matches work.
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There was always going to a be a period during which a new coaching language, a new playbook and a new style of leadership would challenge the squad, but one should be confident that the fundamentals would hold strong. Unfortunately, it has often been in the basics that the All Blacks have been overshadowed so far this season which leaves the viewer with the impression that the team is suffering a collective case of mental overload.
Much of the commentary during the last week has centred on a so-called 'ruthless' coaching style, one that has suggested to players that opportunities to impress are limited and must be taken. Whether that is true or not, this does look like a team playing on edge, and not in a good way. Somehow, this team must get comfortable with being uncomfortable.
The All Blacks have long been regarded as a team that personifies relentlessness, one that follows up a jab with a straight right, and then throws in an uppercut to boot. Opposition teams could live with the All Blacks for periods, but ultimately could not stay with them when the pressure truly came on. But this season it appears the combos have gone. Forget the follow up punches, this team throws a shot then falls back on the ropes.
If the coach was described as ruthless during the week, the All Blacks themselves could not hope to be. You can see the effort, that's a given, but there is still a paucity of quick ruck ball (the phases leading to Mark Tele'a's try were one exception that general rule) and a hesitancy on attack that is stifling the best attacking weapons in the team. Then there is a lineout that continues to wobble at the most inopportune moments.
There was at least one area in which the All Blacks coaches and players were singing off the same song sheet and that was in the post-match reflections. Scott Robertson and Ardie Savea were word perfect in their assessment of what had unfolded in the preceding eighty minutes, and to paraphrase: it was not great.
This will be a challenging week for both the coaches and the team. It is now patently clear that at least part of the plan has not bedded in with the playing group. Clarity, cohesion, accuracy – all of these things develop through clear direction and deep understanding. Could anyone argue that the All Blacks looked like a team on the same page on Saturday? Probably not.
Robertson acknowledged on Sunday that he, too, would have to look at the preparation week to understand what could be, or needs to be, changed in terms of his own approach. That’s a frank admission from the man in charge but, regardless of the admirable honesty, unless this team fully buys in, they will continue to battle.
Test matches are tough enough without battling the brain at the same time. It may be a time to strip this plan back to the basics, and build from the ground up again.
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