Otago Daily Times Online rugby writer Jeff Cheshire looks at five questions ahead of the new All Blacks season.
How will they look to attack?
The All Blacks had two primary attacking patterns last year. One worked very well and one led to a plethora of mistakes. It was the one that worked well that they saved for the good teams though and it will be interesting to see if they use it again. In this pattern they would use half the width of the field on attack from set-piece, while setting up deeper. They would often go off the top from the lineout, before crashing midfield.
From there they would pick and go the same way once or twice, then look to go wider the rest of the way. If that wasn't on, they would come back and set up in the middle of the park again. It gave them go-forward and it was a tactic that meant they weren't trying to execute under pressure, like they were with their flatter and wider one. However with a different squad make-up, notably a faster first-choice openside flanker and less destructive second five-eighth, a wider approach may work. They are a team capable of playing a variety of styles, as they show in broken play, but how they look to create space from set play will be of interest.
How much will the lost experience be missed?
The All Blacks lost a lot of experience last year when a handful of their seasoned campaigners hung up the black jersey. There are quality replacements waiting in the wings, and in terms of ability only the midfield sees a huge drop-off. But there is more than straight ability that is lost here.
A lot of the brains behind the on-field success have gone and it is going to take new players to step in and fill this void. Richie McCaw steered the ship for 10 years and his nous and understanding of the laws is a huge loss. Meanwhile, Dan Carter, Ma'a Nonu and Conrad Smith were all influential in the defensive organisation of this team, making them so hard to score against. Something the All Blacks do well though is bring players through, meaning that we can be surprisingly confident despite having lost these key players.
Which rookies will establish themselves?
Every year the All Blacks bring in a group of new players, but not all establish themselves as long-term squad members. Being post-World Cup year there are a few more than usual this time. Ardie Savea will be around for a long time yet, while Damian McKenzie seems to be the fullback of the future. Will Highlanders Elliot Dixon, Tom Franklin and Liam Squire get a run though? And if they do, will they fare well enough to demand a permanent spot? Seta Tamanivalu is another who has potential although has plenty to work on, while Ofa Tu'ungafasi has the first opportunity to prove his worth for the wide open utility prop spot.
Who will be the first-choice midfield?
After four years of the hooking role dominating All Black selection talk, this year's focus has well and truly been on the midfield. It is unlikely to be 100% clear what the best combination is after three matches, but we will certainly have a better idea. Malakai Fekitoa is a strong runner who attracts defensive attention, can distribute and tackles aggressively. He has been in good form and will likely get the first shot at centre. Ryan Crotty has been reliable at second five-eighth when used in the past, although Charlie Ngatai's form has been blistering this year. Seta Tamanivalu is destructive although he might struggle to beat out Fekitoa. Once the combinations have been established, the question will turn to how effective they can be. Will it continue to be an area where the All Blacks can threaten or one opponents will look to expose?
Can they maintain their dominance?
Ultimately it comes down to this. After six years of being unquestionably the world's best team, are they still as far in front of the pack as they have been? On paper you would think so. They have lost some key players, although so have the other top teams. South Africa will still be tough, as will Australia once they get their top team on the park. England under Eddie Jones represent the biggest threat from the north, although they are unproven against southern hemisphere teams. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the All Blacks drop the odd game, particularly away from home, but going into the season they do still look to be a cut above the rest.
