Rhys Webb: The All Blacks Look Like the All Blacks Again

For me, the biggest thing is that you can see a clear identity developing in the way they want to play.

They’ve got that traditional All Blacks attacking mindset. They want to play, they want to move the ball and, when an opportunity presents itself, they’re prepared to have a go. But what I really like is that underneath all of that, their fundamentals are becoming very solid.

Sometimes we overcomplicate rugby.

Get the right personnel in the right positions. Win your collisions. Be accurate at the breakdown. Defend well. Get your set-piece functioning. Then, when you’ve earned the right, play.

That’s what I’m starting to see from this New Zealand side.

For me, Ruben Love is the man.

Any young player watching rugby at the moment should spend some time watching him.

Forget just watching where the ball goes. Watch what Love is doing before he receives it.

He plays with his head up. He scans. He sees pictures early. He backs himself and, probably most importantly, he isn’t frightened of making a mistake.

He has a go.

There’s a relaxed confidence about him. He looks like a young man enjoying playing rugby rather than somebody carrying the pressure of wearing an All Blacks No.10 jersey.

That is massive.

As a player, when you’re relaxed, confident and enjoying yourself, that’s often when you produce your best rugby. Your decision-making becomes instinctive rather than forced.

Love isn’t trying to manufacture something every time he gets the ball either. If it’s on, he’ll play. If it isn’t, he’ll move the team somewhere else and wait for the next opportunity.

For a young 9 or 10, that’s such an important lesson.

Scan early. See the picture. Make your decision. Back it.

Going to Ellis Park and beating South Africa is never easy.

The Springboks will put you under pressure physically. They’ll come after your scrum, your breakdown and your kicking game, and there will be periods where you’ve simply got to stay in the fight.

That’s what impressed me about New Zealand.

They didn’t just try to outplay South Africa. At times, they had to outfight them as well.

South Africa had 61% territory and put New Zealand under serious scrum pressure, but the All Blacks absorbed it and were far more clinical when their opportunities came.

Another thing I really like about this New Zealand setup is the experience they have in and around the squad.

You’ve got guys such as Beauden Barrett and Richie Mo’unga around that environment.

They’ve been there. They’ve played South Africa home and away. They’ve experienced World Cups, huge Test matches and the pressure that comes with wearing the All Blacks jersey.

Mo’unga has only recently returned to the All Blacks environment, while neither he nor Barrett was in the 23 for this first Test.

But that doesn’t mean they can’t have a massive influence.

For some of these younger players, this is their first experience of facing South Africa in an environment like Ellis Park.

Having someone beside you who can say, I’ve experienced this before. This is what’s coming. This is what it feels like. Stay calm.

You can’t put a price on that.

I’ve always believed experienced players have a responsibility to pass their knowledge down.

Sometimes your contribution to a team isn’t the 80 minutes you play on Saturday. It’s the conversation you have with a young player on Monday, the little detail you give him during training or the confidence you give him before he runs out.

That’s how great environments keep producing players.

And we’re only one Test in.

New Zealand have landed the first punch, but anyone who knows South African rugby knows there will be a response.

That’s why I love this four-Test series.

You’ve got two of the biggest rugby nations in the world going at each other properly. Different styles, different strengths and enormous pride in both jerseys.

New Zealand have taken Test one, but South Africa will come again.

For me, though, the really exciting thing is seeing an All Blacks side beginning to understand exactly what it wants to be.

But how well do you remember them? See if you can name the past 20 All Blacks captains and prove your knowledge of New Zealand rugby.