It’s time for the All Blacks to reassert their position after disappointing 2019

A win, a draw and a loss are not exactly a good read. Yet this is exactly how New Zealand’s 2019 Rugby Championship campaign ended.

It could also have been a lot worse. The All Blacks narrowly escaped with a four-point victory in Argentina to kick off their campaign while 74^th Richie Mo’unga’s penalty minute at home in New Zealand ensured that Herschel Jantjies’ last minute try for the Springboks did not condemn the All to another defeat.

Whatever the case, Ian Foster will look forward to a much better result when his team travels to Australia for this year’s Rugby Championship iteration.

First, however, they will have to produce some emphatic wins over Australia in next month’s Bledisloe Cup matches.

Last year, the Wallabies embarrassed the All Blacks in Perth. The 47-26 beating marked Australia’s highest score of its trans-Tasman rivals, as well as its highest equal profit margin.

Seven of the men who started with the Wallabies in that game are not part of Dave Rennie’s 44-man team. Kurtley Beale, Rory Arnold, Izack Rodda and Tolu Late have relocated to France, while Samu Kerevi and Christian Lealiifano have brought their talents to Japan. Isi Naisarani, meanwhile, was simply overlooked by new coach Dave Rennie.

By contrast, only four of the defeated All Blacks from their starting team are absent from Foster’s first team of the year. Ben Smith and Kieran Read have hung up their international boots while Owen Franks is in England and Scott Barrett, the man who was sent off 39 minutes after the loss, is recovering from injury.

While absentees from the Wallabies are likely to be replaced by relatively untested rookies, NZ’s ever-obvious contingency plans could see vacant spots filled by seasoned options. Read’s absence will likely be the most significant, with Ardie Savea, Sam Cane and Hoskins Sotutu every chance to wear the number 8 jersey.

Last year’s wide loss aside, New Zealand has outplayed its neighbors as of late, suffering just four defeats since 2010.

Rennie, who coached the Chiefs to two Super Rugby titles in 2012 and 2013, is keenly aware of the history between the two nations and while he has introduced a gluttony of young stars to the Wallabies, he will also be aware that subjecting them to the machine. of the All Blacks at this stage in their careers could reinforce the voodoo that Australia just doesn’t beat New Zealand, except on occasion.

That puts the former NZ Under 20 coach in a difficult position. Man for man, are the seasoned Wallabies players talented enough for Rennie to mold them into a team that can beat the All Blacks? Or do you put your faith in 20- and 21-year-olds to give you that extra push?

The selection equation is probably not that difficult for Foster, who has some key decisions to make, but will likely stick with the same team that lined up in last year’s Rugby World Cup semifinal.

If Michael Hooper is the captain, then it goes without saying that Michael Hooper is the first-choice wide end. @TomVinicombe examine what that means for the rest of the @Wallabies Go ahead loose. https://t.co/DKKFFBnX6f

– RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) September 23, 2020

Foster will have a little more freedom to experiment when the Rugby Championship rolls around in November. If the All Blacks bring a 46-man squad to Australia, as expected, then a host of new and returning players could settle down by the minute, especially if Argentina and South Africa don’t have access to their best talents.

Many of the Pumas players have been affected by the coronavirus as, over the weekend, South African Super Rugby teams played their first competitive matches since March.

Still, given the relative disharmony that existed among New Zealand fans when Foster was first appointed as coach before Scott Robertson, last year’s assistant won’t want his charges to take his foot off the pedal.

This year is a time to reassert the All Blacks as the world’s rugby superpowers, and that should start in October when the Wallabies hit town.