No less than Ireland, quite what to make of New Zealand is open to debate. This follows a Rugby Championship which featured the highs of extending their unbeaten run at Eden Park to 51 matches against the Springboks in Ardie Savea’s 100th Test, before their heaviest defeat ever a week later to the same opponents in Wellington. That perhaps tells us more about the state of modern Test rugby, where pretty much anyone in the top 10 can beat another on a given day, and often with wild swings in results, sometimes with huge margins. In any event, head coach Scott Robertson is perhaps mindful that a history-making tour would atone for another runners-up finish to the Boks. So, although their...
