Despite still being revered as one of the greatest teams in world rugby, the All Blacks are currently in disarray.
Having lost their first-ever test series against Ireland last weekend, the New Zealand media and fans alike are calling for a change in management.
Ian Foster has been in charge of the All Blacks since 2019, and since then has had mixed fortunes as the head of the former world champions.
When taking over in the latter part of 2019 from Steve Hansen, big things were expected of Foster. The All Blacks had come off the back of a disappointing world cup campaign and desperately needed some rejuvenation.
Having been the assistant head coach of the national side for the past 7 years, there was plenty to be optimistic about for the All Black fans. Despite having the knowledge of the team, and their style of play, Foster has never been able to satisfy the expectations of the New Zealand press, however.
With a win rate percentage of just 67%, time appears to be running out for the coaching veteran. This is the worst win percentage since Eric Watson in 1979-1980, although even Watson didn't lose to Argentina or Ireland like Foster.
There are many arguments that can be had as to whether it is the coach's fault or not, we'll leave that to the fans and those in charge. What we can say with absolute certainty however, is there are certain players not quite performing at a level perhaps previous All Blacks would.
A previous All Black looking to force his way back into the fold is none other than Julian Savea. Affectionately known as 'The Bus' due to his aggressive running with the ball, Savea has been in incredible form since returning to Super Rugby with the Hurricanes.
There are many who think that his time is up, but there has to be an equal amount of those that feel the once world-beating winger is now back to his best.
One such person who clearly feels this way, is Julian Savea himself. Writing on Twitter, Savea has quite clearly put out an open offer to the All Blacks letting them know he's 'ready when they are':
In his prime, he was often thought of as the greatest winger around. With a strike rate of 46 tries in 54 games, Savea was almost impossible to stop once he had a sniff of the try line.
With New Zealand reeling from their recent loss, whoever is in charge of the All Blacks for their next test will no doubt be looking at ringing some serious changes.
If Savea stays fit and in the form he currently is, there's no reason he shouldn't expect a call-up with the world cup just over a year away.
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