Steve Hansen, of course, saw this coming in his crystal ball. But surely not this soon, and not this decisively.

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Graeme Hick was going to stand above English cricket, arms spread wide, like Christ the Redeemer looking down on the seamy streets of Rio de Janeiro. Only it never happened. The West Indies bowlers went after Hick's throat. They took away his time. And Hick, redefined as the carpetbagger from Zimbabwe, fell from grace.

The All Blacks might have beaten Argentina 39-22 at Yarrow Stadium on Saturday night, but they are not playing very well.

Winger Nehe Milner-Skudder will make his first test appearance since the 2015 Rugby World Cup final after he was named as one of several changes in the All Blacks team to face Argentina in their Rugby Championship match on Saturday.

Discarded All Blacks winger Julian Savea has revealed he fell out of love with rugby this year but says he is determined to earn his spot back.

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen will have to reassess his options at openside flanker after Matt Todd was ruled out for four weeks with a broken hand on Monday.

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The moment the All Blacks take the foot off the throat of the Wallabies will be a dark day for rugby on both sides of the Tasman.

Steve Hansen has viewed enough rugby to understand why desperate, and angry, teams can revert to unsavoury tactics when plotting their revenge.

A revved-up Dane Coles will play his 50th Test and his first of the year when the All Blacks try to lock away the Bledisloe Cup for another year in Dunedin.

While Wallabies coach Michael Cheika was the obvious target of fans' discontent, the rotten fruit could also have been reserved for another in the Wallabies camp.

​SANZAAR is investigating whether All Blacks star Sonny Bill Williams should have been sent off the field for a head injury assessment in the opening minutes of Saturday's Bledisloe Cup fixture in Sydney.

Wallabies assistant coach Stephen Larkham was surprised by the scale of Australia's defeat to the All Blacks but says the group cannot afford to overhaul its defensive strategy just days out from another clash in New Zealand.

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen says back-rower Jerome Kaino will be given all the time he needs after allegations of infidelity resulted in him flying home from Australia on Saturday.

Australian rugby legend Michael Lynagh has launched a scathing attack on the Wallabies in the wake of their 54-34 thumping at the hands of New Zealand, saying skills are "non-existent".

The Wallabies' hopes of regaining the Bledisloe Cup were all but dashed after a shocking first half against the All Blacks before they managed to salvage some pride in a bizarre 54-34 defeat in Sydney.

Bledisloe Cup: Wallabies 'brothers' Allan Alaalatoa and Scott Sio's Sydney homecoming

All Blacks coach Steve Hansen insists star halfback Aaron Smith is "in a great headspace" and will line up as usual against the Wallabies on the weekend despite further allegations about his infamous "toilet tryst" last year.

The All Blacks' Bledisloe Cup preparations have been thrown into disarray after allegations emerged that star halfback Aaron Smith lied to New Zealand Rugby officials about last year's sex scandal in an airport toilet.

​All Blacks boss Steve Hansen admits he had one eye on the future when selecting Liam Squire for Saturday's trans-Tasman Test in Sydney.