A 31-28 win over Australia in Sydney last weekend means New Zealand have already claimed the trans-Tasman trophy - for a 22nd straight year - heading into the return clash in Wellington on Saturday.
Retaining that piece of silverware is about all that's gone right for the All Blacks under new coach Scott Robertson.
New Zealand limped past England, were beaten by Argentina on home soil and then lost both away Tests to South Africa in the first season under the former Crusaders coach.
Quite incredibly, they are yet to score a single point after the 60-minute mark in any of their five Rugby Championship Tests to date.
"We want to finish this championship strong," said Robertson on Friday.
"We've felt like we haven't had a complete performance this season yet, so we're looking to do that tomorrow."
Those fadeouts are a big reason why the All Blacks have given up the Rugby Championship after four years of holding the southern hemisphere title.
The loss of that title has gone under the radar in New Zealand, where the focus is on the shape of Robertson's team as he works towards the next World Cup.
In Wellington, Beauden Barrett will be given a chance in the No.10 role with Damian McKenzie shifting to the bench.Â
As a finishing player, McKenzie will have the chance to end that last-quarter rot.
Captain Scott Barrett said part of the second-half puzzle was also better discipline, given five yellow cards had been given to the All Blacks in recent Tests, including two against Australia.
"They can swing the momentum of the game, as we've seen in past Test matches," he said.
"A lot of them come when you're defending so if you have the ball and you can hold it, you're a bit more in control (and) taking the referee out of it with decision making."
The All Blacks will celebrate the careers of Sam Cane and TJ Perenara on Saturday.
Cane, the skipper who was infamously red-carded in the one-point World Cup final loss last year, will become just the 13th All Black to feature in 100 Tests.
Both he and Perenara, an 86-cap hometown hero, won't be eligible to represent the All Blacks from next year as they take up club contracts in Japan.
Barrett said giving them a fitting sendoff would also be part of the motivational mix.
"You can draw upon that for energy and your fuel for the team, so we have done that," Barrett said.
And then there's the most surprising record at Sky Stadium, where the All Blacks haven't won in five Tests - a stark contrast to their record at Eden Park, where they are unbeaten in 50.
Barrett said it had been talked about in camp.
"We're certainly not proud of it and we want to turn that around," he said.
19°C