Losses to the Springboks will be a learning experience, not a disaster

There’s a huge amount to like about the All Blacks, so I’ll get the grizzling done quickly.

I’d have been content to see Luke Jacobson get a red card for the dangerous clean out he unleashed at Eden Park on Saturday and I thought Quinn Tupaea was lucky to escape a yellow card.

Other than that, New Zealand’s 40-21 win over Ireland was pretty meritorious.

I don’t think Ireland are especially good and, for all my reservations about whether the All Blacks’ unbeaten run at Eden Park is important, it clearly matters to the other team.

A bit like South Africa last year, Ireland were hopeless at times on Saturday. Rushed, inaccurate, almost overwhelmed by the whole thing.

It won’t bother me when the All Blacks finally lose at Eden Park but, in the meantime, it appears like history is in the heads of their opponents.

No, what enthuses me about the All Blacks is there’s clearly more to come.

After the match, head coach Dave Rennie talked about the level of detail that’s going into the players and how their upcoming tour to South Africa provides him a captive audience and the opportunity to delve even deeper. He’s not predicting success over there, necessarily, but he is promising the team will leave better than they arrived.

I believe all that. I believe he and his coaching staff are only scratching the surface of what they can get out of these players. I believe they’re actually being coached right now and I believe they can become an elite team by next year’s Rugby World Cup.

What’s more, after the really strange and underwhelming Scott Robertson era, I think these players actually want to be coached and believe – as I do – that they’re becoming better for it.

Talent and physicality help, obviously. Guys we haven’t seen much of so far this test season, such as Patrick Tuipulotu and Asafo Aumua, are just a bit too powerful for most teams.

Jordie Barrett is playing the best rugby of his career, Will Jordan, Cam Roigard, Damian McKenzie and Ruben Love are as skilled as anyone who’s worn the All Black jersey and there’s a growing depth.

Peter Lakai would be first-choice for many countries, Tupaea and Billy Proctor both do a solid job at centre – without having the tackle-busting ability of Leicester Fainga’anuku – and Caleb Clarke and Josh Moorby have both impressed on the left wing.

There’s no Fabian Holland right now and Sam Darry – who was excellent against France and Italy – didn’t play against Ireland, but Josh Lord’s going well and Tuipulotu was outstanding at Eden Park. Tupou Vaa’i is good wherever you play him.

I wish Scott Barrett every success with his return to full fitness, but he’ll be coming back a fair way down the depth chart.

I’m not sure tighthead prop is New Zealand’s greatest area of strength, but it’s not a glaring weakness either.

We’ve neither seen nor missed Beauden Barrett, and Richie Mo’unga is yet to enter the fray.

I think we’d become accustomed to players performing below themselves on the test stage. New boys came in and performed with vigour, but soon reverted to being as mediocre as the rest of their teammates.

No-one got better, no-one lived up to the picture we had of them in our mind’s eye. They were all just muddling along.

I look at Rennie’s All Blacks and I see a team where honest feedback is given and appreciated and I see a team where there’s a clear method of play and detailed plans on how to improve every individual.

Most of all, I see the rugby world quickly realising the All Blacks are a proper team again. Not a brand, not a collection of talented but disconnected individuals, not a tired outfit trading off the deeds of those who went before them.

No, these All Blacks are good, but still a long way off their best.

Win, lose or draw in South Africa, that trip will be the making of them. They haven’t really been pushed in the Nations Championship and sometimes you have to break something before you can truly fix it.

Losses to the Springboks will be a learning experience, not a disaster, because there’s a coaching staff who are in command again.

It’s been a long time since I felt as optimistic about the All Blacks.