Eighteen wins on the spin and counting. The All Blacks will not stay unbeaten forever but sometimes it feels that way. Over the next month they will face Ireland (twice), Italy and France and, barring accidents, it should be 22 straight victories by the time they fly home. The head coach, Steve Hansen, and his lieutenants deserve credit for the impressive manner in which the team has refocused and developed since retaining the Webb Ellis Cup last year. Who said Dan Carter, Richie McCaw, Ma’a Nonu et al were irreplaceable? In the shape of Aaron and Ben Smith, Kieran Read, Dane Coles and Beauden Barrett, the All Blacks have the five best, most influential players in the world. The challenge for their opponents is not just to beat them; they have to catch them first. No team has more accurate skills on the run, no one capitalises on errors with such speed and alacrity. Aside from the recent pathetic clown caricatures of rival coaches, this has been a year for all Kiwis to be proud of. Keep it going and, potentially, 2017 could be better still.
Related: All-conquering All Blacks show the benefit of putting skills before strength | Paul Rees
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