Rennie vs Razor: Have the All Blacks Really Evolved?

Has Dave Rennie genuinely improved the All Blacks, or is New Zealand’s 3–0 start in the 2026 Nations Championship another July honeymoon? In this data-led All Blacks analysis, I compare Rennie’s first three Tests against France, Italy and Ireland with Scott “Razor” Robertson’s opening July windows in 2024 and 2025. We follow winning margin, quick-ball percentage, territory, kicking, turnovers, line breaks conceded, tries, points per opposition-22 entry, tackle workload, post-contact metres per carry and lineout success. New Zealand began with a loose 34–32 win over France, beat Italy 47–17, and then produced a more controlled 40–21 win over Ireland. Against Ireland, the All Blacks scored six tries while increasing their kicking and territory, losing only nine turnovers and conceding five line breaks. I also revisit what happened to Razor’s 2025 All Blacks when the Rugby Championship arrived: possession and territory fell, entries into the opposition 22 almost halved, line breaks disappeared and the defensive workload climbed sharply. My view after studying the numbers: the improvement across Rennie’s first July looks real, especially from France to Ireland. Three home Tests are still a small sample. South Africa and the later Nations Championship matches will show whether this style can survive stronger packs, heavier pressure and less favourable field position. What do you trust most: the improved 22 efficiency and Ireland performance, or the warning signs around 157 tackles per game and an 82.7% lineout? Data source: RugbyPass match statistics. CHAPTERS 0:00 Is Dave Rennie’s 3–0 start different? 1:26 Three perfect All Blacks Julys compared 2:55 How strong were the 2026 opponents? 4:34 What changed from France to Ireland? 6:42 Did greater control hurt the attack? 8:11 Rennie vs Razor: how each July developed 10:46 Does higher scoring change the defensive context? 12:28 Did New Zealand suppress these attacks? 14:30 Where Razor’s 2025 All Blacks declined 16:55 The defensive workload under Razor 18:43 Rennie’s warning signs for the rest of 2026 21:29 Is the Rennie progression real? #AllBlacks #DaveRennie #RugbyAnalysis