Embattled coach Ian Foster may be forced to take matters into his own hands, if the All Blacks' abysmal 2022 campaign continues, says rugby commentator Tony Johnson.
Saturday's historic 25-18 defeat to Argentina at Christchurch was the fourth defeat in six games this year and came just 10 days after NZ Rugby flew in the face of overwhelming public pressure, confirming Foster as the right coach to lead the All Blacks at next year's World Cup in France.
The team's impressive win over South Africa at Ellis Park appeared to be the catalyst for that decision, which veteran commentator Johnston believes was made too quickly.
"I think it was a bit hasty to make that decision based on one test result," Johnson told AM.
"To make a decision based on that performance in South Africa… it was a great performance, but I think they maybe could have waited a bit longer.
"It now goes back into that situation where they're going to be judged on every single test match. Now every time they lose, there's going to be this call to change the coach.
"In a way, they've kind of painted themselves into a corner."
The schedule doesn't get any easier for the All Blacks. After this weekend's rematch with the Pumas, they'll face a red-hot Australia, who turned plenty of heads with their emphatic 25-17 win over the Springboks on Saturday.
With NZ Rugby now highly unlikely to renege on its recommitment to Foster, any further poor results thrust the All Blacks coach into a furnace only he could pull himself out of, suggests Johnson.
"If they were to drop another test match against Argentina, I think that would put the heat back on the coach himself to make the decision," he said.
"You've then got the Bledisloe Cup and Australia look pretty good, when they were beating South Africa at the weekend. [The pressure] is not going to end and I think the longer a decision is delayed, the tougher it's going to be for whoever might come in.
"They can turn it around, that's not out of the question. They can win this weekend, then they can retain the Bledisloe Cup and then you can start talking about the new direction, the new dawn that everyone jumped to talk about after that one win in South Africa.
"But if they keep going the way they are going, with the percentage they're going at, I think the situation is going to become untenable."
Johnson points to indiscipline as the key reason behind the All Blacks' downfall at Orangetheory Stadium, where penalties allowed the Pumas to keep in touch with the hosts, before edging ahead and leaning on spectacular defence to secure their first-ever victory on NZ soil.
But he also questions some of the personnel selection, particularly the call to inject "low on confidence" hooker Codie Taylor in just the 45th minute of the match for in-form Samisoni Taukei'aho.
Johnson says Taylor's performance was symptomatic of the pressure many of the players are under, which has only been exacerbated by the uncertainty surrounding Foster.
"The players probably feel like, every time they go out now, they're not just trying to win a game for themselves, the team and the jersey, but they're also trying to win the game to keep the coach in his job," he noted.
"That all adds up to me and it's manifesting in some decision-making that's probably not what we're used to seeing."
Join us at 7pm Saturday for live updates of the All Blacks v Argentina Rugby Championship clash
