It's been a rough few weeks for Kiwi fans of the All Blacks, and losing is something we're not used to, but could it be good for us?
Explainer Editor at Stuff Keith Lynch said the winning streak Kiwis are so used to got a bit boring.
"I do want to say I have nothing but admiration for New Zealand rugby but I feel the fans are relatively joyless and quite flat and quite expectant."
And those on the streets agree.
"The repetitiveness, there's nothing new, you kind of lose a crowd."
"It's like, oh yeah, okay, here we go."
In a recent article published on Stuff, Lynch suggested that it's a good thing that the All Blacks have been losing recently.
"When you aren't constantly winning, when you have to overcome adversity and when there's uncertainty at every match like there will be again this weekend, but now there's real jeopardy in the rugby, I think it's just going to be much more surprising to watch."
And with the All Blacks losing a game or two, it turns out it might be good for viewer ratings. In the recent series with Ireland, each game the All Blacks lost the viewer ratings increased for the next test.
"Having competition makes it more exciting as a spectator," said one All Blacks fan.
"It's always good to watch the Kiwis get bashed," another said.
And Lynch thinks losing might even help our mental health.
“I think a lot of that comes back to the fear of losing is greater than the joy of winning."
Lynch added when the All Blacks are just another team struggling like everyone else, "the wins actually mean more".
"They're not expected, that they don't bring relief, they bring joy."
Watch the full interview above.
