sport news How did the Kiwis lose their aura of invincibility? They have taken their eye ... trends now
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Gone are the days of standing room only for an All Blacks team announcement, when the room was filled with an air of invincibility.
As their lunchtime briefing kicked off in Teddington on Thursday, the Virginia Wade suite at the Lensbury Hotel was barely a third full.
After four defeats in 12 games this year — including an historic series defeat by Ireland — the All Blacks’ reputation has taken a hammering. A run of six victories has shown signs of revival, yet defeat on Saturday would mark their worst year since 1998.
New Zealand have lost their aura of invincibility after four defeats in 12 matches
Have they been distracted by the commercial pressures of building the All Black brand? Does Ian Foster (below) have the necessary coaching credentials? Has their firepower been damaged by the exodus of players to Europe and Japan?
‘It’s been a bit of a rollercoaster,’ admitted lock Brodie Retallick, who spent a season with the Kobe Steelers after the 2019 World Cup and will win his 100th cap at Twickenham.
‘We’ve been looking for some consistency. If you look at the experience and the age of this team, with what’s happened in the world the last few years, we haven’t had the occasions of going to Twickenham. Last year was the first time a lot of the players have gone to Europe.
‘These days in Super Rugby we don’t go to South Africa. I didn’t take it for granted but in the early days of my career we were doing that every year and it
