All Blacks

While NZ Rugby was explaining its decision to extend All Blacks coach Ian Foster’s contract through to the 2023 World Cup in France, Robertson’s supporters had to, again, take a deep breath and accept defeat.

Robertson missed out to Foster when the pair interviewed for the top job in late 2019, following Sir Steve Hansen’s departure after the World Cup in Japan.

Foster was offered a two-year contract. Robertson returned to the Crusaders, and this year re-signed a fresh deal that runs through to 2024 with the option of a release a year earlier.

Foster took over from Steve Hansen after the 2019 World Cup.

In this time in charge the All Blacks have won the Bledisloe Cup twice, as well as last year's Rugby Tri-Nations.

He has also welcomed 13 new All Blacks into the fold.

NZR chief executive Mark Robinson said Foster could now plan for next year and beyond with certainty.

It's understood an announcement will be made today after the Queensland government gave approval for the state to host the tournament and put South Africa and Argentina in quarantine facilities where they can continue training.

The All Blacks will fly out for Perth this week and will play the Wallabies in the final Bledisloe Cup test on September 4 before both teams move to Queensland for their Rugby Championship games against the Springboks and Pumas.

The sport’s governing body has confirmed it was reviewing the name, setting the scene for arguments between old school traditionalists and those who value inclusivity.

The All Whites nickname dates back 40 years to its qualification run to the 1982 World Cup, when New Zealand donned an all-white kit for the first time against Taiwan.

The fan-given nickname stuck, the moniker sitting as an irreverent contrast to the senior men’s rugby side, the All Blacks.

The third meeting of the series between the teams - which also doubles up as the countries' second clash in this year's Rugby Championship - was scheduled to be played in West Australia on August 28.

But after a decision on Friday by New Zealand Rugby to pull out of the game sparked a war of words between the nations' rugby officials, Marinos is confident the match can still happen on a later date.

"We're working hard now with the West Australian government and the stadium to see if we can't move that to September 4," Marinos told Channel Nine on Sunday.

With the country amid a COVID-19 lockdown and Australia having restrictions around New Zealanders travelling there, the NZR has decided not to send the team which was due to leave for Perth on Sunday and play the Wallabies there on Saturday week.

NZR has also announced the All Blacks' two home rugby championship against South Africa and the Black Ferns two O'Reilly Cup Tests against the Wallaroos will not be played in New Zealand.

The match in Dunedin would have been the 100th test between the All Blacks and the Springboks.

The second Bledisloe test in a row at Eden Park looks like it will be the last time they play on New Zealand soil in 2021, with the Rugby Championship set to likely take place in Perth over the course of the next month.

That's a real shame, not just because it means for a third season in a row the players will have to make a long road trip after last year's Australian hosted tournament and the World Cup in 2019.

Will Jordan comes into the run on side for injured centre Anton Lienert-Brown. Jordan will start on the right wing, with Sevu Reece moving to the left wing and Rieko Ioane moving from the left wing to centre.

Lienert-Brown has been ruled out with a knee injury.

David Havili remains at second-five and Damian McKenzie remains at fullback.

Halfback TJ Perenara is in the reserves and returns to the matchday 23 for the first time this year.

Despite a 33-25 win in Bledisloe I, the All Blacks were put through an unflattering review on Monday, where players were held accountable for their mistakes.

However, Smith vowed the team's game managers wouldn’t repeat their tactical errors in Bledisloe II at Eden Park on Saturday.

“We had a plan around how we wanted to exit and get our forwards in the game early,” Smith told The Breakdown on Sky on Monday evening.

“But there was just so many opportunities. We fell into that trap of, ‘we could go on here, it’s hot here, we could do this’.

The hosts won Saturday's opener 33-25 over the Wallabies in Auckland, leaving the visitors needing to break a 35 year hoodoo at Eden Park this weekend to have any hope of winning back the trophy for the first time since 2002.

It was a far from flawless display from New Zealand but they celebrated Aaron Smith becoming the 10th All Blacks centurion with a win and despite the patchy performance, it was still an occasion he'll never forget.

"It was a dream and goal of mine so it's surreal it's happened," Smith said.