For rivals
having an all-crusaders trio of front-rowers on the bench: the
All Blacks’ scrum enjoyed moments of dominance in the second half with
Taylor,
George Bower and Fletcher
Newell on the field. Taylor’s case might also be helped by Dane Coles’ unconvincing appearance off the bench during the loss to the Springboks in Mbombela.
England have been in that position twice, in 2006 and 2008, while Australia have been there three times, losing four in a row in early 2016 and three in a row in 2013 and 2018.
What did those losing runs mean for coaches?
Since the start of the 21st century, the All Blacks have had only five different full-time coaches, while England have had six, Australia seven and South Africa eight.
The last New Zealand coach to leave the job at any stage other than after a World Cup was Wayne Smith, who resigned in 2001, but mid-cycle changes have been far more common elsewhere and while poor results weren’t the only factor in many of them, they were often a key one.
England’s run of eight losses in 10 in 2004 and 2005 was followed by Sir Clive Woodward’s resignation, while their run of seven in eight in 2006 was followed by Andy Robinson’s.
But five of their six defeats in an eight-match span in 2008 came only after Brian Ashton was moved on in favour of Martin Johnson, just months after he was backed indefinitely.
With South Africa, Rudolf Straeuli kept his job despite a run of six losses in seven in 2002, his first year in charge, but departed after the 2003 World Cup.
Jake White kept his job after a run of seven losses in nine in 2006 and left on a high the following year, after the Springboks won the 2007 World Cup.
Allister Coetzee initially kept his job after overseeing seven losses in eight in 2016, but was sacked in early 2018.
With the Wallabies, Eddie Jones was shown the door after eight losses in nine in 2005, but Robbie Deans survived a run of six losses in eight in 2009, his second year in the job.
Deans ultimately resigned in 2013, after a 2-1 loss to the British and Irish Lions, which marked the start of a run of seven losses in nine, and Ewen Mckenzie then lasted a little over a year before resigning in the middle of a run of six losses in eight.
Michael Cheika kept his job through to the end of the 2019 World Cup despite overseeing runs of six losses in eight in 2015 and 2016 and six losses in seven in 2017 and 2018.
Ashton and Erasmus also oversaw rapid turnarounds after taking charge of England in 2007 and South Africa in 2018 respectively.
While England made it to the final of the 2007 Rugby World Cup after their coaching change a year out, the Springboks went one better, winning their third world title in 2019.
On the other side of the coin, the Springboks won their second world title in 2007 after sticking with White at a time when his win percentage stood at 60% – below Foster’s current mark of 63%.
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