The end of All Blacks dominance?

The All Blacks are used to winning, but are we about to see this absolute dominance come to an end?

 

Love them or hate them the All Blacks have been the dominant force in world rugby by some margin for the last seven years. This period has seen them set a new standard for professionalism and mental toughness allowing them to brush aside all comers in most of rugby’s great arenas. But is their reign as the undisputed giant of world rugby coming to an end?

The numbers are quite astounding. Historically the All Blacks have a near impossible 76.38% win record over 525 tests. Dig a little deeper and the numbers get even more incredible. No losses to Argentina, Ireland, Italy or Scotland over a combined 90 tests. Win records of 80% against England, 76% against France, 90% against Wales and 68% against Australia. Only South Africa has provided something close to an even marker to this remarkable side with a 57% record. But even these statistics have been shown up in recent years as the All Blacks rode roughshod over all comers.

Preview: Week one Autumn Internationals.

Quade Cooper evades the desperate Welsh defence. Will the Australians continue their dominance of Wales during this season’s Autumn Internationals?

November, the final month of Autumn. The skeletal trees struggle to hold on to the few remaining remnants of a warmer greener time, as the brethren of those scattered leaves create a damp, rotting blanket of yellows and reds below. Thick jackets, long forgotten in the back of the wardrobe during those heady summer months, suddenly reappear, while parents scamper to get their children’s winter clothes organised before the onset that most bitter of seasons. But before old man winter rears his chilly head we can all looks forward a little bit of extra heat during November in the form of the final Autumn International series before the next Rugby World Cup.

Usually I would say that the Autumn International Series are barely worth watching, an excuse for the Southern Hemisphere teams to have a bit of a frollick around Europe before undertaking a well deserved break, while the Northern Hemisphere boys re-acquaint themselves with each other, shake off the cobwebs and have a blow out before the season proper begins. It is the time of wildly fluctuating scorelines (looking at you France) and an opportunity for respective unions to fill the wallets a little.