The mighty All Blacks are falling. Can they rule world rugby again?

New Zealand rugby’s tipping point appears nigh. Alarmist? Maybe. Yet as the fissures deepen while the All Blacks embark on a defining South African tour, New Zealand grows increasingly impatient for signs of resuscitation of its revered rugby tradition.

Two weeks ago the All Blacks ignited mass venting after losing against Ireland in Wellington – a result that consigned Ian Foster’s widely derided All Blacks to their first home series defeat in 27 years, their first ever against the Irish, and their fourth defeat in five Tests.

Cue outrage. Such a sharp plateau cuts through New Zealand’s societal and political divides to form unified condemnation.

Six days of silence followed as the All Blacks and New Zealand Rugby held high-powered meetings behind closed doors. The information vacuum sparked wild speculation, with calls for everyone from the coach to the captain to be sacked.

Foster has survived, for now at least, despite a 66.7% win record which ranks him the worst All Blacks coach in the professional era.

In a defiant, emotional address last week Foster attempted to counterpunch the mounting red mist. Yet only by delivering an immediate transformation in two brutal Tests on the South African highveld can he secure his future.

Casualties have emerged in the form of All Blacks forwards coach John Plumtree and attack mentor Brad Mooar – both shown the door a matter of months after re-signing through to the 2023 World Cup.

Sacking coaches mid-tenure is a cut-throat notion far more aligned to European football than uber-conservative New Zealand rugby, reflecting the relentless public pressure and sustained demand for change.

While rugby’s rankings require Pythagoras’s theorem to fathom, the All Blacks dropping to fourth