Yes, I would think so.dk4 wrote:Not sure about Naholo.
Savea might be criticised but he does show up in games and creates space.
Was trying to find the post by cashead after the WC15 but could not find it.
Where do we think NZ is now after 1 year?
Looks like some good new players have been found (ALB, 2nd hooker) but where do we have gaps?
Should we be looking for a number 8 soon?
As to where we are, I'd said earlier (before the loss to Ireland) that it was an amazing feat to follow up a RWC double with half a brand new team and still keep beating the best of the rest.
I still don't know if Hansen deliberately played a half-strength side against Ireland, or it was just ordinary psychology after setting a record winning streak, or what, but longer term I believe most people consider a loss now and again as a necessary part of reminding athletes that they can actually lose if they faff about believing their own press.
So I'm cautiously optimistic that the success formula is still working. I doubt there's a team on the planet that could beat the All Blacks twice in a row. IIRC South Africa were the last to do so, in 2009 (?) ...
Tangentially speaking:
The Irish making England-style world-beater noises after narrowly escaping against the worst Australian side in a decade is kind of funny to watch, though.
This weekend's Australia v England game will tell us a bit more about how serious anyone should take Ireland's pretensions, and Australia's "recovery".