All Blacks Damian McKenzie and Shaun Stevenson, at a stand-up in Christchurch on Thursday. Photo: RNZ/ Anna Sargent
Analysis: It's fair to say things are going according to plan for the All Blacks. While the two bits of silverware they were after at this stage of the season are locked in the cabinet, we can now fully turn our attention to the golden prize of the World Cup with a sense of positivity. After all, Ian Foster's side isn't just back to winning ways, they're doing it in pretty dominant fashion.
Well, we can all but turn our attention to it. There is the matter of the second Bledisloe Cup game this weekend in Dunedin, in which Foster has the luxury of overhauling his side and giving wider squad members a run in a test match, some for the first time.
The team for this weekend has been massively telegraphed, admittedly. After Foster kept it relatively conservative for the first test of the season, against the Pumas in Mendoza, it was unlikely the dice was going to get rolled much against the Boks and important first Bledisloe Cup match. So, for the likes of Samipeni Finau and Dallas McLeod, Dunedin was always going to be the place they'd be debuting.
Shaun Stevenson is another story, though. Sensationally left out of Foster's initial squad, he ended up in the squad anyway due to an injury to Leicester Fainga'anuku. Once Fainga'anuku was fit again, Emoni Narawa had gone down, so Stevenson has ended up getting the All Black experience he probably deserved - albeit in a roundabout way.
He will start on the wing in a very exciting back three alongside Will Jordan and Fainga'anuku - but really Stevenson's selection, while popular, does contradict Foster's original logic. Jordan is a more than capable fullback, obviously Beauden Barrett is as well, while Caleb Clarke or McLeod can cover the other wing. So, there is ample cover already and Stevenson hasn't played since the Super Rugby Pacific final.
On the sentimental side, Aaron Smith will get to finish his last test on New Zealand soil by coming off the bench. There are question marks over the man he'll relieve, though, as Finlay Christie's spot as the backup halfback may well be in jeopardy.
Cam Roigard certainly has a big future, but the other part of the picture is Brad Weber. The rumour is that the Chiefs co-skipper was sent away with the All Blacks XV to Japan to simply keep him playing, rather than filling the third halfback spot and carrying water bottles.
All Blacks coach Ian Foster at a stand-up in Christchurch on Thursday. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
But on the whole, it's a good position for Foster to be in. The main motivation for him is to win his last game in New Zealand as well, if nothing else than to prove yet another point after what happened last year. The way the current side is playing, getting them prepared for this test should be fairly straightforward. So really, the fact that Foster still has Fletcher Newell, Joe Moody, Ethan Blackadder, David Havili and Quinn Tupaea available after long injury breaks to consider for Monday's squad announcement is probably taking up more of his time.
Will Jordan scoring a try for the All Blacks in the Rugby Championship 2023 and Bledisloe Cup Test match between Australia and New Zealand at the MCG in Melbourne on 29 July. Photo: AFP / William West
Because really, this Wallaby team is an absolute rabble right now. Eddie Jones' return has gone about as poorly as possible so far, with last weekend's hiding giving few signs that they will threaten the All Blacks at Forsyth Barr Stadium. The one thing they can look to for inspiration was the last time they played in Dunedin, when they really should have won a game that finished 35-29 to the All Blacks thanks to a last play Beauden Barrett try - but that game was six years ago, and Richie Arnold is the only player left.
The Wallaby team for this Saturday isn't poor by any stretch of the imagination, even if he's been forced to name Tate McDermott as his fourth different captain in as many tests. But while Jones' selections aren't quite shifting deckchairs on the Titanic, they're hardly tectonic ones that will have Foster and the All Blacks shaking either.
The home side need to simply pick up where they left off last weekend in Melbourne. There will be no shortage of motivation from the likes of Damian McKenzie to press his case at first five, because while Richie Mo'unga has edged ahead, the race for the 10 jersey doesn't quite feel like it's done yet.
Then we see the All Blacks again on Monday in Napier, for the World Cup squad announcement. With all due respect to the Wallabies, that feels like the bigger event of the next few days.
