Inside the All Blacks rebuild: how rugby’s greatest brand must regain its sheen

New Zealand are in a rare period of remodelling as they begin their northern hemisphere tour - (Getty)

For New Zealand, these have been weeks of a sort of national nirvana. A country so used to punching above its weight on the sporting field has seldom seen such success. Last month, the nation’s female cricketing White Ferns won the T20 World Cup for the first time just days before their male counterparts secured a first Test series win in India. In Barcelona, the Royal New Zealand Yacht Squadron dominated Ben Ainslie’s Brits to hold on to the America’s Cup; it is a Kiwi in Chris Wood that is powering Nottingham Forest up the Premier League.

So you’d forgive the All Blacks, New Zealand’s highest-profile sporting export, for feeling a little extra pressure as they begin a demanding European tour with a tango in Twickenham on Saturday.