'Have we made any progress at all?': Kiwi pundit's brutal All Blacks take

The All Blacks have received a damning review from veteran rugby commentator Grant Nisbett in the wake of their latest Rugby Championship defeat to Los Pumas, with coaches and the class of players being called into question.

Speaking on Sport Nation radio on Monday, Nisbett reacted to a defeat that has Kiwi pundits searching for answers after the All Blacks surrendered their unbeaten record in Argentina.

It was the Kiwis’ first loss of 2025 in their fifth outing, but that record meant little to the commentator, who saw no signs of meaningful progress from the team throughout that stretch.

“It was really disappointing, wasn’t it? I find myself asking the question: have we made any progress at all in the five Test matches that we’ve played this year, and I’ve come to the conclusion that, no, we haven’t. In fact, we’re almost going backwards,” Nisbett said.

“It’s a real concern, isn’t it? Solutions? I don’t know. I really don’t know, and I don’t think the coaching staff know, either.”

Points Flow Chart

Argentina win +6

Time in lead

44

Mins in lead

14

54%

% Of Game In Lead

17%

59%

Possession Last 10 min

41%

3

Points Last 10 min

3

Another core question raised by Nisbett, who has done commentary on over 300 Test matches, was that of team identity, particularly on the attacking side of the ball. Other issues include discipline and the contestable kick contests.

“I’ve been texted by a lot of people, and even during the game yesterday, people were saying, ‘What are we trying to do here?’ And I don’t know what the answer is,” he continued.

“We hear that they’re trying to play the game at pace, and yet we pick our biggest ever forward pack, which is a real contradiction. I don’t know what the game plan is, and if there is one, then it’s well hidden. I just don’t know what it is.

“We know that our next game is against South Africa, we know what their game plan will be, and that’s about it, really. It’ll be physical, it’ll be high kicks and all the rest of it.

“We’ve got to find a way, somehow, to counter that, but I’m not sure we’re capable right now.”

The last issue Nisbett brought to attention was the way the All Blacks are finishing games, with an ugly habit from 2024 again rearing its head.

“It was a real issue last year. It was identified, and there were stats around to say we were terrible in the last 20 minutes in most of the Test matches we played last year, even the ones we won handsomely. And it doesn’t seem to improve.

“Then you have to say, ‘What kind of impact are we getting off the bench?’ Because that is the time when the bench really has to come into its own, that’s when the tired players that have had an hour, they’re gone, you bring the fresh legs on, and you hope for an impact, and we simply aren’t getting it.

“I think the biggest concern for me, is that when our world-class players, and to be honest, we haven’t got that many in the All Blacks at the moment, I’m thinking of the guys like Will Jordan, Beauden Barrett, Ardie Savea, one or two others, if they have an off day, the All Blacks are going to lose. There’s no doubt about that.

“We don’t seem to have blokes who can step up when the very best players are not having one of their better days.

“We talk about the depth in New Zealand rugby, but at the very highest level, I’m not sure there’s a hell of a lot of depth there at the moment.”