As Jacinda Ardern sits down to run the country over the next few months, she will, naturally enough, be given a bit of a honeymoon period.
Slight errors and faux pas will be just taken as getting used to the role. Wearing the training wheels and learning the ropes.
Unfortunately, All Blacks do not get the same grace period. They are expected to be top-notch for every minute of every game.
Highlanders first five-eighth Lima Sopoaga did not have the greatest of games last Saturday against the Wallabies in a narrow defeat.
That led to questions about his ability and his future in the black jersey. His kicking was said to not have been accurate enough and his option-taking too slow.
But let's just back the truck up.
Sopoaga was woefully underdone going into the game. To expect him to play at his absolute best is naive. It is like thinking Ardern will fly to North Korea next week and organise a mixed doubles table tennis match with Kim Jong-Un, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
All up, Sopoaga has started six games this season - the first three and the last three in the Highlanders season. In comparison, the man inside him, Aaron Smith, has started 23 games this season.
Sopoaga played the opening three games of the season for the Highlanders before damaging his hamstring on March 11 against the Blues.
The No10 then missed 11 weeks before he came back via the bench in late May. He then started for the Highlanders against the British and Irish Lions, the Reds and then the quarterfinal against the Crusaders in July.
Since then, he has then been in camp with the All Blacks and sat on the bench five times during the Rugby Championship. He received significant minutes in Cape Town but last Saturday night in Brisbane was his first start for 91 days. And all up it was just his second start in the black jersey.
Starting is way, way different to coming off the bench. It is chalk and cheese.
For whatever reason, Sopoaga never played any games for his club when coming back from injury or in camp for the British and Irish Lions series.
How much benefit he would have got from playing for the Eastern Barbarians against Woodlands on a chilly June afternoon in Gore is debatable.
But it is still time in the saddle.
Instead, he was holding tackle bags and going to trainings.
Nothing beats playing. Nothing comes close - getting the ball in the hand and putting in a good kick. Throwing a dummy and breaking the line.
His other start was in South Africa in 2015 where he was surrounded by vastly experienced players. It was a completely different kettle of fish on Saturday night.
Sopoaga also plays the bulk of his games under the roof at Forsyth Barr Stadium where the only variable in conditions is there is no variable.
In Brisbane, it was raining and greasy. Conditions were a mile away from what you get under the roof.
Throw in a pressing defence, often offside, then it was never going to be easy for Sopoaga.
And a first five-eighth can only play as well as his forwards let him. The All Blacks forward pack played well but was not totally dominant. The pack was missing key man Brodie Retallick. His absence was widely felt.
So, yes, Sopoaga was not at his best.
But few are if they do not have the time in the saddle - collect the runs on the board. Just watch the Beehive in the coming weeks.