England is the last real Test for the All Blacks in 2026

Agree the ABs best rugby is still ahead of us. Yeah the ABs were outplayed / overpowered at the set piece and systematically beaten at the collisions. In the result, the Boks were clearly superior at converting effort (pass, carry and tackle) into points. Surprisingly perhaps, that only translated into a 3-4 median point difference across the 4 tests and the ABs points per entry was materially better than the Boks. So, from here every test is about bringing the mana back to the set piece and the collisions and building on that lethal attack.

Why so down, my man? Wasn't RGR supposed to be a fact-finding exercise with the ABs to pick up at least a win but also learn as much about their own depth as well as how far they still need to climb to be the champions again? So isn't it ticks across the board?

So what's with the tragedy and melodrama? Honestly the ABs performed much better than I think most people believed they would in areas they expected them to be well beaten in and less good in areas they were expected to match up.

The scrum, lineout, maul and in the air were areas the ABs struggled in which was somewhat uncharacteristic especially given that across all four Kiwi finalists in this year's SRP they were strong in those elements.

But where they actually exposed a possible vulnerability in the Boks was not where it would be expected to be found, which was in and around the ruck, where the ABs found good progress in bursting through seams and overloading the edges with numbers and great support lines.

The Boks have fantastic ground operators like Marx and PSDT who normally make getting ground around the ruck area almost impossible. Yet the ABs consistently found purchase here.

And of course there were moments wider out where the usual defensive power lapsed at times with the robust unit of Kriel and DaD getting isolated from the inside and wider channels.

I'd say the tour worked for both the Boks and ABs exactly as it was intended to, providing valuable insights about where their main strengths are but also where each has potential vulnerabilities that other teams could exploit if they're good enough to.

You write off the remainder of the year at your own peril. The Wallabies maybe don't generate the sense of immediate jeopardy that they once did largely because it's been so long since they won but also because they seem to have acquired a mental block when facing New Zealand that they play some of their worst rugby when facing them.

Doesn't mean an upset won't occur. Not saying the Cup won't be secured again but a potential loss in one game is always a chance. And it will.be interesting to see how the changed dynamics of the team largely forced through injury potentially impacts the way the games are played.

And then the northern leg of the Nations Championship sees visits to London, Edinburgh and Cardiff. It may have been a very long time between drinks since either Wales or Scotland beat a New Zealand team but that doesn't mean you can assume they won't be a proper challenge.

The current Scotland team you feel still have not quite hit their ceiling and if Townsend can somehow get them to actually produce their best rugby they could get the victory, no matter how unlikely that feels to you.

Wales, like Australia, have been champions in the past but have fallen on hard times and they've fallen away badly across the current cycle after a slight uptick in 2023. However, the squad that Tandy is building has a lot of class players who would likely walk into many top sides in the world and if he can get them all firing they will be a genuine handful.

And England, well, they've seem to hit a bit of a speed bump and are going through a bit of a rough patch. What was supposed to be a showcase of their World Cup credentials in Joburg turned into a complete rout by the World Champs and although they went strongly through the remainder of their July tests they still seem to be missing some of the fire they showed last year.

Hardly convincing proof that they remain the litmus test you proclaim them to be but they're certainly not mugs and they'll be up for it in front of their home faithful. They could either round out the year on an upward trajectory or find themselves with a bloody nose.

One would expect DR to experiment a bit over these remaining 5-6 tests with his depth as the series with the Boks didn't really give him much room to give that many guys a genuine go with most of the changes forced through injury.

Whether he will be bold enough to try it during the Bledisloe which would be a bit of a flex as well as a gamble probably depends on what happens this weekend in Perth between the Boks and Wallabies.

If the result is one sided, as many are boldly prophesizing that it will be, it could make it easier to roll the dice. If the match is close or has an unexpected outcome, then he will likely have to be more conservative.

And then the Bled tests will likewise inform what he is likely able to do during the November window. It's all going to be about load management and minimizing as much as possible the scourge of injuries which seem to have affected NZ far more this year than I can recall in recent times.

If this year is all about working out who your first and second choices are for every position as well as their back ups, then losing anyone to injury that will see them miss a significant chunk of game time during the most critical period of preparation for the World Cup presents a major setback.

Therefore, your writing the remainder of the year off is pretty arrogant and foolish. There's a lot to be gained from these last 6-7 tests this year and given that the international season is due to begin much earlier for SH next year with the scheduling of the Anzac Day test there's no time that can be taken for granted.

“I’m not a business analyst, I have no commercial or governance acumen…I have no rugby knowledge…” so true

ABs will demolish England

What a self-contradicting concoction of arrogance and doom.

Great idea. Underestimate the Scots! Last year they should have toppled the AB’s and fluffed it!