The All Blacks’ record defeat to South Africa drew fierce criticism from New Zealand media and former players on Sunday, with ex-captain Kieran Read accusing the team of lacking a “spine.”
Coach Scott Robertson and his squad came under heavy scrutiny after collapsing late in Saturday’s Rugby Championship clash in Wellington, where the Springboks ran in four of their six tries in the final 18 minutes to seal a 43–10 win.
It marked the biggest defeat in New Zealand’s 658-Test history, with Read criticising the team’s lack of resistance as the game unraveled.
“You’ve got to look at this All Blacks side and say something’s not right,” Read told Sky Sport. “When you’re leaking points like that, where’s the backbone we expect from an All Blacks team?”
A two-time World Cup winner in 2011 and 2015, Read contrasted New Zealand’s leadership with that of South African captain Siya Kolisi, who returned to the role in Wellington after missing the captaincy in Auckland the previous week.
‘An absolute hiding’
“You could see how much the team lifted when Siya was back wearing the armband,” Read said. “He unites that side, and more than that, he unites the whole country. He’s been doing it for years. The scoreline shows just how much it meant to them – 43–10 is an absolute hiding.”
Local media outlets were equally scathing. The New Zealand Herald’s Gregor Paul wrote that the All Blacks had been “annihilated,” comparing them to “an ill-conceived analogue contraption trying to compete with the latest iPhone.”
“The self-styled innovation leaders of world rugby were blown off the park,” Paul added. “Losing doesn’t damage the brand, but record defeats do.”
Stuff was just as blunt, arguing New Zealand deserved to drop from first to third in the world rankings – behind South Africa and Ireland – after a performance marred by 46 missed tackles.
“Almost every All Blacks fan will struggle to accept Robertson’s talk of ‘great efforts,’” Stuff wrote. “On a night like that, nearly everyone in black fell far short of what is acceptable.”
The loss also highlighted New Zealand’s inconsistency under Robertson, who replaced Ian Foster last year. His record of six defeats in 21 Tests contrasts starkly with the dominance of Graham Henry and Steve Hansen’s eras between 2004 and 2019.
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