Masters of the hardest art: Why do the All Blacks win?

The All Blacks celebrate their Bledisloe Cup victory over Australia in 2019

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There is an ongoing narrative, stretching back all the way to the days of rugby existing purely as an amateur sport, that New Zealand are the single dominant force in world rugby.

Every Super Rugby franchise finds itself in the position of having to play catch-up to the likes of the Crusaders and the Hurricanes; the Mitre 10 Cup is considered a single-nation domestic competition unlike anything the rest of the world can offer; and the All Blacks are considered not only the best team in international rugby but possibly the most dominant team in any sport.

For all the pomp and ceremony that surrounds the All Blacks, however, there is an underlying current of truth in the notion that they are the best team in rugby.

They were unbeaten in World Cup tournaments for 12 years before 2019, were the two-time reigning world champions which no-one else has ever achieved before and have won 13 out of 18 Tri-Nations/Rugby Championship competitions since Australia's victory in 2001, with the Wallabies having claimed the Bledisloe Cup only once in that time - 2002.

Having sealed the Cup from Australia for an 18th straight season in 2019, New Zealand has once again shown their current superiority over their Australasian neighbours and in some style. These games have been symbolic both of the gulf in class between the All Blacks and their international rivals but also some of the reasons why this perceived dominance has come about which merit discussion.

Both on and off the international stage, the current New Zealand have created an aura about themselves that no team can match - but why?

That final five percent

There is a simple answer to that question, that we have been taught time and again in recent years. New Zealand have an uncanny knack of finding an extra gear late in games, whether it be to rescue results from dangerous situations or to add significant gloss to a scoreline.

This is no fluke - the seeming reality that New Zealand are so good because they are the fittest international team in world rugby but, crucially, they have been trained better than any to execute under the pressure of fatigue.

Let’s take a 2018 Rugby Championship game against South Africa as a prime example.

New Zealand celebrate their comeback 32-30 win over South Africa in the 2018 Rugby Championship

Credit: Siphiwe Sibeko/Reuters

Cheslin Kolbe’s converted try had put South Africa 30-12 up after 60 minutes. To most other sides, that is game over. See you later. Homeward bound.

Not New Zealand, though. Tries from Reiko Ioane and then in the dying five mintues from Scott Barrett and Ardie Savea saw the All Blacks home in a nigh-impossible 32-30 win.

When the game is on the line, the pressure is on and the bodies are tired, the All Blacks find a way to execute as they would do early in a game and it is that which sets them apart.

Let’s consider the case for this argument.

First, let us consider the numbers.

The All Blacks by numbers

One of the most interesting things fans have always found with New Zealand is how many of their points (and there are plenty of those going about, as they average a tick under 40 points a game since the start of the 2018 November international series) seem to be scored in the latter stages of games.

The Bledisloe Cup games of 2018 were both prime examples, with the half time scorelines being 6-5 to Australia and 14-7 to New Zealand in the respective games. The fact that New Zealand won both games with an aggregate differential of 53 points is a sign that their impact late in games is beyond anything any other team can cope with or emulate.

If we look back through that recent history, this is by no means an uncommon theme, either. During the June 2018 series against France, the All Blacks averaged 26 points in their second halves out of a 42-point average across the three games.

The first Test was the best example to take, with France leading the contest 11-8 at the half-time break and New Zealand going on to win 52-11 - a 44-0 second-half scoreline.

Reiko Ioane scores a try in New Zealand’s 52-11 win over France in 2018 - a game in which they trailed at half-time

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In their last 24 international matches, New Zealand have either been behind at half-time or ahead by 7 points or less at the break 13 times - well over half. Yet across the 19 games that they won in that period, the average margin of victory was 31 points.

This continued domination of the second half of games does not happen by accident.

For whatever reason, the best teams find another gear to go to when the pressure comes on that those they beat do not. We have seen it time and again in the English game with Saracens over the last few years.

Indeed, both they and Exeter Chiefs provided terrific examples of it over recent seasons - in games against tough sides that were still tight after half-time, both sides have regularly found a second wind that allowed them to step up the intensity to a level their opposition were ill-equipped to handle and put on scorelines that would on the surface reflect routine victories.

This is exactly what the All Blacks pull off so well in the cauldron of international rugby and it is indicative of two crucial factors that set these kinds of teams apart - incredible physical fitness and unerring mental discipline.

Hard defence earns big scores

New Zealand’s defence, shown here during a Test against the Lions in 2017, is just as important as their attack

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The common myth with New Zealand is that when they get good field position and possession against a side, when they are attacking in the opposition's 22, they will come away with points.

They just will; it's what they do, right? Actually, we venture to argue, wrong.

The reason this apparent characteristic of their play stands out is not that they are ruthless at converting attacking positions as a rule; it is that they are experts at converting attacking positions under physical and mental strain when their opposition are throwing attacking opportunities away and that is the crucial thing.

They are so good at defending a team out for 10-15 phases in their own 22 and then going straight up the field to score with their next touch of the ball.

They are able to combat the natural fatigue and clouded judgement of the latter stages of a Test match better than any team going.

And that, simply put, is why they are considered the best. It's not because they are always as clinical and as unstoppable as they sometimes appear - it is because they are those things when it matters most.