THE REALLY GOOD
• Wallace Sititi. Who doesn’t love this kid? Started the year as a fringe member of the Chiefs squad — viewed very much as a project — and ended as one of the first names down on the All Blacks’ team sheet. Full of energy, physicality and verve. Mostly started on the blindside but appeals as the long-term No8.
• Tupou Vaa’i. Most improved player. Lock shaped as a position of real concern following the departures of greats Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick, but few can argue the All Blacks have missed them. Vaa’i took such strides he was rightly rated among the premium second-rowers in the world by the end of the campaign.
• Codie Taylor. You can’t keep an "old" (he is 33) bull down. Any suggestion the hooker would be seriously challenged by Samisoni Taukei’aho (injured) or Asafo Aumua (work in progress) was quickly extinguished as Taylor found his second wind and was arguably the player of the year.
• The scrum. Everyone knows the All Blacks like to throw the ball around and play at pace. But they are a match for anyone up front, where Tyrel Lomax anchors an exceptional scrum.
• Irish win. Statement wins are important, as they help paper over any other cracks. The biggest statement the All Blacks made this year was beating Ireland in Dublin.
THE REASONABLY GOOD
• Halfback stocks. Aaron Smith is the greatest No9 in All Blacks history. But the wee genius was not missed too much following his move to Japan. Cortez Ratima was the big mover, Noah Hotham showed in his cameo that he has real talent, and Finlay Christie and Folau Fakatava are still around. Above all, it was hugely exciting to see Cam Roigard, who missed most of the Super Rugby season, get back to his scintillating best at times on the tour.
• Will Jordan. The bloke just scores tries for fun. Leave him at fullback.
• Caleb Clarke. The year he really established himself as a test-class winger. Best could be to come, too.
• Sam Cane. Sayonara to the great warrior. Showed class and heart in his final tests, and will not be easily replaced.
THE BAD (OR SORT OF BAD)
• The midfield. Just feels like a niggly area in a not-quite-working-that-well state. Jordie Barrett was underwhelming at times, and while Rieko Ioane played (and trolled) superbly against the Irish, he still has his doubters. It would be nice to see more of Billy Proctor.
• First five. Damian McKenzie had a decent run in the 10 jersey and was predictably hot and cold. So Beauden is back aged 33, and Stephen Perofeta awaits his opportunity. The unshakeable feeling is that this position offers more questions than answers at an early stage in the World Cup cycle.
• The captain. Ardie Savea was the natural choice to follow Cane as skipper, but Razor wanted his man. Scott Barrett is a decent player with long-held concerns about his discipline and genuine follow-me leadership.
• The coach. Stats don’t lie. Scott Robertson has just completed the worst first year by an All Blacks coach in the professional era. He was oddly conservative with selections, nothing his team did suggested some sort of revolution, and he did not really make a splash with any newcomers apart from Sititi. There was also the rather odd mid-season departure of an assistant coach. Crusaders fans will suggest keeping the faith, and it is a sad truth that the All Blacks were dipping before Robertson arrived, but improvements will be demanded in 2025.
THE UGLY
• Four losses. Oof. You still do not expect to see the All Blacks failing that often. Only 1949 (six losses) and 1998 (five) have been worse calendar years, while there were also four defeats in 2009 and 2022.
• Discipline. The All Blacks conceded zero yellow cards in the first four tests ... and 10 in the last 10. That is really not ideal. Somehow they need to get better at playing to the letter of the law, not past it.
• Cohesion. The one concept that sticks in the craw when you reflect on the All Blacks in 2024. They just did not show enough of it for long enough periods of time. There were some spectacular moments, and big plays at crucial times. But how often did you really get a sense of flow, of this team being really in sync?
All Blacks
in 2024
Tests: Beat England 16-15, beat England 24-17, beat Fiji 47-5, lost to Argentina 38-30, beat Argentina 42-10, lost to South Africa 31-27, lost to South Africa 18-12, beat Australia 31-28, beat Australia 33-13, beat Japan 64-19, beat England 24-22, beat Ireland 23-13, lost to France 30-29, beat Italy 29-11.
Overall: Played 14, won 10, lost four, scored 431 points (30.8 per game), conceded 270 points (19.3 per game).
Iron men: Anton Lienert-Brown (five starts, nine subs), Damian McKenzie (10/4) and Asafo Aumua (3/11) played every test.
