The All Blacks have retained the Bledisloe Cup and, with a little help from Argentina in Durban, have won the Rugby Championship for yet another year. And that’s not all.
In demolishing Australia 40-14 in their final Test at Eden Park until 2024 at the earliest they have also set themselves up nicely for their Northern tour during which they will play Japan, Wales, Scotland and England, and, not least, have firm evidence that in Jordie Barrett they have a player of rare talent who could be a permanent fixture in the No.12 jersey.
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From the depths of losing the home series to Ireland in July, to the axing two of their assistant coaches, to losing to the Boks at Mbombele Stadium and the Pumas in Christchurch and almost the Wallabies in Melbourne last week, the All Blacks have somehow finished on the right side of the ledger so far in 2022.
They clinched the Rugby Championship overnight after the Pumas were beaten 38-21 by a South African side who failed to win with the requisite bonus point which would have brought their 40-point differential deficit into play.
And they appear to be well placed to learn from the flaws and inconsistencies which have plagued them this year because their bonus point win over the Wallabies last night in which they had the Test virtually sewn up by halftime was another big step in the right direction.
It came via a significant shift from their pack, guided by new assistant Jason Ryan, which dominated Australia to such an extent that their strike weapons, led well again by Richie Mo’unga, could play with time and space and freedom.
It provided a near perfect platform for the youngest Barrett starting a Test at No.12 for the first time. And how he played.
Read more: All Blacks catch fire to give themselves a chance in Rugby Championship
Barrett, the late try-scoring hero at Marvel Stadium, made nine tackles at Eden Park, missing precisely zero. He carried the ball 18 times and beat seven defenders, including Bernard Foley, whom he ran over in the second half. In total, Barrett ran for 82m with the ball.
He was a huge success story in a team full of them and, after wanting to start a Test in the No.12 jersey for years, appears set to do it more often after filling in for the injured David Havili and Quinn Tupaea.
“It’s all about timing,” a very satisfied and tired head coach Ian Foster said a day later. “He’s deserved his chance to go in there and what a great athlete.
“He’s played well for us at fullback and on the wing and now he’s played really well at No.12. Certainly, he had a big impact last night. Plenty to think about.”
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The All Blacks now have a fortnight off before the squad for their Northern tour is announced and they assemble for a three-day camp in Nelson.
They still have shifts to make in terms of being a true 80-minute team. But their defence was far better than nine days earlier in Melbourne and they brought a harder edge to everything they did to ensure the Wallabies went home without troubling their woeful record at Eden Park, where they haven’t beaten the All Blacks since 1986.
It made for a satisfactory night for Foster, who stayed up to watch the Boks fail to score the tries they needed in Durban and he could hardly have been happier.
“It was a championship we wanted to win,” he said. “We did it the hard way. Like I said last night, we gave ourselves a chance last night and it was enough.
“It’s very special. It’s been a very different journey to other Rugby Championships that we’ve won.
“I’m proud of the effort the boys have put in. They’ve worked hard and kept an open mind about some different little things and so I think we’re starting to see the results of it.
Read more: All Blacks win Rugby Championship as Pumas push Boks all the way in Durban
“There’s still quite a bit left in this tank, I think. We saw that even last night. The building blocks are nice but there are a few finishing touches that aren’t quite right. But what a great spot to be in.
“It’s up to us to make sure they’re the areas we can tidy up and focus on. Some of the conversion rates on some of our line breaks for example.
“I’m still a bit disappointed we let them back on the scoresheet in the last 15 minutes. That was a bit of an Achilles heel from last week that we didn’t quite fix the way we wanted to. They’re small things but will be important things in 12 months’ time.”
Foster hopes the break will provide his side with the best opportunity for success up north after the losses in Dublin and Paris last November.
He felt his side had grown their experience and game understanding over the past couple of months and they had shown a resilience which may stand them in good stead at next year’s World Cup.
The All Blacks play five Tests next year before the World Cup, but none at Eden Park due to the women’s football World Cup hosted there and elsewhere in New Zealand and Australia. It means their fortress is unavailable – hardly ideal – but it’s a concept they need to get used to before France 2023 anyway.
“What have we learned? We learned that under pressure we stayed tight,” Foster said. “We learned that we’ve sought solutions that have made all of us uncomfortable at times but the goal has been to try to get the performance right.”
Speaking of performances, Jordie Barrett expected heavy traffic to come his way last night. “I took that personally this week,” he said.
He sure did. And he gave it back the other way, too. He’s becoming very important to this work in progress.