Analysis: Ian Foster has nailed the first four games of 2023, but has he nailed the 33 names that will be going to France to try to regain the World Cup?
The Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship trophies are in the cabinet, but attention now turns to the big one, kicking off in just over a month's time.
Key points from the squad announced Monday evening in Napier:
No alarms and no surprises: This was a pretty telegraphed team really. Sam Cane's captaincy closed down any debate around the makeup of the loosies, and the impressive form of Foster's team so far made it hard to disagree with much he's done anyway.
It doesn't mean there aren't a few players that can feel hard done by (see below), but by the time the Bledisloe Cup was lifted, Foster had made it clear who was in the picture and who was not.
The All Blacks squad for Rugby World Cup 2023. Photo: RNZ / Angus Dreaver
Problem solved?: Blindside flanker has been a position that no one has really nailed down since Jerome Kaino retired/Liam Squire made himself unavailable, but this year's TRC saw Shannon Frizell smash his way through the Pumas and Springboks, then Samipeni Finau score a crucial try in the win over the Wallabies in Dunedin.
Finau missing out is tough but foreseeable, given Frizell's form and experience, plus the proven back up plan in Scott Barrett.
Aaron Smith is going to go out on a full time card: The veteran Smith will play about as much as possible, given the relative inexperience of his deputies. It will be interesting to see just who gets the 21 jersey in the big games, though - Cam Roigard's bigger frame might give him the advantage.
Lock it in: Brodie Retallick suffering an injury that may rule him out of the start of the tournament is a blow, but not quite the gut punch it might have been. Scott Barrett has been probably the best All Black so far this season, so a duo of him and Samuel Whitelock is definitely tough enough for the first game against France. The only issue is that there isn't exactly a lot of experience behind them as Tupou Vaa'i hasn't got much game time.
Richie is the man: It was looking like it'd be neck and neck in the race for the number 10 jersey, but like his equine namesake, Richie Mo'unga cleared out in the home stretch to comfortably win. His clutch, game-winning penalty goal was exactly what All Black fans needed to see before they head into a big first up clash in Paris.
Lucky ones: Caleb Clarke's very good cameo in Bledisloe I, in which he was given a free license to hunt around the ruck and was rewarded with a try, showed that he's not just an out and out right winger. That busy performance was probably enough to overlook that it was only his fifth try in 15 tests, not exactly a hot strike rate.
Tamaiti Williams can probably breathe a sigh of relief after a tough first test start in Dunedin, as will Finlay Christie after having a rough time of it before being replaced by Aaron Smith.
Unlucky ones: Brad Weber was rumoured to have been sent away with the All Blacks XV to keep his minutes up, but that turned out to be hot air as the selectors stuck with their original halfback trio. He and Chiefs team mate Shaun Stevenson are probably wondering just what they had to do after carving up Super Rugby Pacific, but really Dallas McLeod can rightfully feel quite aggrieved given that he was originally named in the TRC squad.
Stevenson wasn't, but got a start in Bledisloe II that logically should have belonged to McLeod, with the Crusaders utility having to play a fireman role by making his debut off the bench when the All Blacks were down 17-3 to the Wallabies.
Doing it in Napier was a nice touch: The proud rugby region of Hawke's Bay, Poverty Bay and the East Coast has done it tough this year, so taking the squad announcement there was a good call.
Fantastic opportunity for NZR or one of their sponsors to match local boy Brad Weber's season-long fundraising efforts for disaster relief as well.
