‘Loot lo, loot lo,’ a man yells while recording scenes after a truck toppled in Andhra Pradesh’s Nellore. His video is now going viral, sparking discussions online over ‘insensitivity’. But what exactly happened? The truck was loaded with bottles of cold drinks (primarily bottles of Thums
Editorial independence is core to our work. Some links may earn us a commission, without influencing our opinions.Big price drop on 4K smart TVs: Up to 60% off on Samsung, Sony, LG and moreSmart TVs on Amazon are seeing noticeable price drops, making it easier to upgrade to sharper visuals
NRI installs Statue of Liberty replica atop Jalandhar home after 26 years in New YorkAn NRI installed a Statue of Liberty replica on his Jalandhar home, drawing visitors and going viral online. Published on: Mar 22, 2026 7:39 AM IST By Mahipal Singh Chouhan Share via Copy link A unique
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday described Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the “biggest infiltrator” and reiterated her criticism of the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Union government in connection with the special intensive revision of voter rolls, PTI reported
Meet Team USA's ‘giantkillers’ who handed Tom Brady, Joe Burrow brutal losses in Fanatics Flag Football Published on: Mar 22, 2026 4:11 AM IST By Yash Nitish Bajaj Share via Copy link U.S. National Flag team's Isaiah Calhoun reacts after scoring a touchdown against the Wildcats FFC (AP) Key
The US has lifted sanctions on some Iranian oil, as it scrambles to contain the impact of its war in Iran on energy markets. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent announced the issuing of a narrowly tailored, short-term authorisation permitting the sale of Iranian oil currently stranded at sea
Delhi engulfed in ‘not very common’ dense fog in March; records lowest temperature since February 26Experts attributed the occurrence of fog to a combination of recent rain, high moisture content in the atmosphere and relatively calm winds overnight. Updated on: Mar 22
Chandrasekhar, who is fighting against CPI(M) leader and state Education Minister V Sivankutty, and K S Sabarinadhan from the Congress in the April 9 polls, submitted his nomination papers before the returning officer during the day, accompanied by Rajasthan CM Bhajanlal Sharma.Chandrasekhar
Robertson sacking marks another slip from the summit for All Blacks
First, the disclaimer.
The All Blacks are not a bad rugby team. They are, in fact, a very good one.
During Scott Robertson's time in charge they won 20 out of 27 Tests - a winning rate that no northern hemisphere side, not an all-time Ireland or a resurgent England, can match over the same time period.
They are ranked second in the world. A man down for nearly an hour, they were within a point of winning the last Rugby World Cup final.
They are a very good team.
But not even the most one-eyed All Blacks fan would claim they are the best.
And, as even the most casual supporter knows, that is what they need to be - which is why Robertson has been sacked.
The All Black brand is based on over a century of dominating rugby union, which has seen them transcend the sport and become a global cultural phenomenon.
That a small country with a population of a little over five million is, by some distance, the most consistently successful in the history of the men's game is an astonishing achievement that has spawned a whole cottage industry in management gurus claiming to explain their over-performance.
But, with Robertson's dismissal on Thursday, there is a sense of a superpower in decline.
The All Blacks lost only three of 13 matches in 2025, but, when they came, each of those defeats were chastening.
In August, Argentina inflicted a first home defeat on the All Blacks.
In November, England coasted home against them at Twickenham.
And, most painfully of all, in September, South Africa walloped them 43-10 in Wellington.
The Springboks are the current undisputed kings of the men's game.
A decade ago, New Zealand had just won back-to-back world titles and held a decent claim to being the greatest Test side ever.
Now, South Africa have the same credentials.
And there is no clear reason why, should South Africa be toppled, that New Zealand will be the ones to reclaim the summit.
South Africa, like France and England, have a vastly bigger player pool.
In the past, the All Blacks have defied those raw numbers thanks to the prominence of rugby in their sporting culture, intense domestic competition and a coaching legacy that has built on previous success.
All have been eroded.
Super Rugby, which in its pomp was a prime proving ground for future Test stars, expanded too fast, incorporating teams from Japan and Argentina, and has, with South Africa's franchises departing for European competition in 2020, contracted dramatically.
New Zealand's sides are left competing against struggling Australian teams, plus Fijian Drua and Moana Pasifika.
Kiwi sides have locked out the last four finals, but the All Blacks are the real losers because of the lack of regular, testing competition.
With the New Zealand dollar losing value over the past five years, plenty of players have chased more money and a higher standard of competition elsewhere - and New Zealand's policy on picking only domestically-contracted players means the All Blacks have gone without those stars.
Richie Mo'unga, previously their first-choice fly-half, has spent the past two seasons exiled in Tokyo, playing for Toshiba Brave Lupus.
On the coaching side, the All Blacks have had a policy of promoting from within.
Steve Hansen and Ian Foster - Robertson's two immediate predecessors - both stepped into the All Blacks head coach role after serving as assistants.
Robertson, who previously worked as the 'Baby Blacks' under-20s coach before a hugely successful spell with the Canterbury-based Crusaders, was a relative outsider, despite having no significant coaching experience outside of New Zealand.
No foreign coach has ever held the role.
For a long time, that insularity protected winning intellectual property.
Now, next to South Africa's innovative and cosmopolitan set-up, it seems to be slowing them down.
There is a wider challenge as well.
New Zealand's rugby authorities, like other countries, are battling against a decline in boys playing the game., external
The mystique of the All Blacks has also been dented by the need to leverage it for revenue.
In 2022, US private equity firm Silver Lake bought a stake in the All Blacks in a controversial deal.
Last year, there was a very public dispute with Ineos, the petro-chemical firm owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, over defaults on a sponsorship agreement.
Lucrative matches in emerging markets have become a regular feature of the team's itinerary, raising funds, but not generating enthusiasm or passion back home.
Off-the-field incidents involving a number, external of , externalplayers, external who subsequently remained on the team, has also tested belief in the All Blacks' famed policy of not tolerating poor behaviour.
The pipeline of talent, once so certain, has spluttered.
New Zealand won the first under-20 World Cup in 2008, and the following three editions.
But they have reached the final only once in the past five stagings of the tournament, losing to South Africa in Italy last year.
The National Rugby League, Australia's powerhouse domestic rugby league competition, will reportedly stage one of the games in its showpiece State of Origin series in New Zealand for the first time in 2027, and hopes to launch a second franchise in the country by 2029.
As it is expands and scouts promising rugby prospects, the All Black talent pool shrinks further.
There is always the possibility of another golden generation.
The current one, with talents like Cam Roigard, Wallace Sititi and Will Jordan, is pretty precious.
But whoever takes over from Robertson faces the difficult task of uniting a squad of players for the Rugby World Cup only 20 months away, and overcoming deeper structural issues.
A four-Test series away to world champions South Africa is at the heart of a testing 2026 schedule and will be brutal barometer of where the team, and a rugby nation, stand.
Source: BBC
Related Posts: All Blacks beat Australia to keep Rugby Championship hopes alive Rugby-All Blacks locked on Bledisloe Cup retention after Rugby-All Blacks locked on Bledisloe Cup retention after Rugby-McKellar seeing progress at Waratahs despite Super Rugby exit Rugby-Women's Rugby World Cup players to wear mouthguards that light up on heavy impact Erasmus keeps faith with Springbok squad after record All Blacks win Australia's Slipper to retire after All Blacks Test Erasmus keeps faith with Springbok squad after record All Blacks win Wallabies primed for "pressure cooker" All Blacks Test All Blacks beat Australia but miss out on title
In 2018, a young tigress stopped appearing on camera traps in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh. There was no official report of conflict as well as no records of carcass recovery or poaching incidents. This indicated that she had not died within the reserve.In 2018
15 hours ago
The Union government on Saturday allowed an additional 20% allocation of commercial liquefied petroleum gas to states and Union Territories, taking the overall allocation to 50%. Of the total amount, an allocation of 10% will be given on the condition that states undertake measures to ease the
15 hours ago
DICGC risk-based premium: How much will banks pay for deposit insurance?RBP framework provides a bank with a discount of up to 33.33% on the deposit insurance premium based on its rating category and an up to 25% vintage incentive. Updated on: Mar 22
15 hours ago
Maharashtra politics heats up after a state women's commission chief resigns due to her association with a spiritual leader accused of rape. The Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray Sena now targets Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Leaders demand action against political followers of such spiritual
15 hours ago
TikTok star Taylor Frankie Paul sat uneasily in her chair during a live interview on ABC's Good Morning America this week, caught between trying to promote her turn in the network's new series of The Bachelorette and addressing fresh domestic violence allegations lodged against her by her
15 hours ago
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee assured the minority community of her support during her Eid-ul-Fitr address, criticizing the BJP's alleged deletion of minority names from electoral rolls. She vowed to challenge these actions in the Supreme Court
15 hours ago
In the age of convenience, using frozen, deep-fried or processed meats that are brimming with preservatives is the norm. It makes life easier on days when work and life collide. However, a new study has found that eating too much ultra-processed food may significantly increase the risk of serious
15 hours ago
Mohit Suri on eight-hour shift in film industry debate: ‘Emraan Hashmi shot 24 hours with me’Director Mohit Suri feels improved working hours shouldn’t be reserved only for actors, but must also consider the well-being of the entire crew. Mar 22, 2026
15 hours ago
Cuba’s national power grid suffered a nationwide collapse on Saturday, plunging the island into darkness for the second time in a week as the communist government struggles to maintain electricity supplies for its 10 million residents amid a U.S.-imposed oil blockade and ageing infrastructure
15 hours ago
The National Farmers' Union has warned that food prices in the UK are likely to go up as a result of the conflict in the Middle East. NFU President Tom Bradshaw told the BBC that the price of cucumbers and tomatoes could rise over the next six weeks
15 hours ago
Global intelligence agencies, including the CIA and Mossad, were closely watching during Nowruz on Friday to see whether Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, would uphold his father’s tradition of a New Year’s address. However, the holiday went by without Mojtaba’s address
15 hours ago
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Saturday claimed it had struck an Israeli F-16 fighter jet over central Iran, even as Israel announced fresh overnight strikes on ballistic missile production facilities in Tehran. In a statement carried by Sepah News
15 hours ago
These have been directed by PNGRB to shorten the timeline between the submission of applications and the commencement of gas supply to consumer households and pursue mass awareness initiatives. Also Read :India set to become rich by 2047? How growth
15 hours ago
The combined wealth of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma has increased to Rs 35.16 crore in 2026 from 17.27 crore in 2021, showed the affidavit filed by the Bharatiya Janata Party leader on Friday. Himanta Biswa Sarma had filed the affidavit along with his
15 hours ago
When Liverpool came to Brighton last May, the away end was in party mode at the full-time whistle despite the defeat as they sang and celebrated with inflatables and balloons. By then, Arne Slot's side had won the Premier League title and a trip to the south coast was another excuse to enjoy
15 hours ago
The National Highways Authority of India will use advanced AI dashcams on 40,000 km of highways. This initiative aims to improve road maintenance and safety through data-driven operations. High-resolution imagery will help identify over 30 types of defects
15 hours ago
For most office workers in India, the concept of working out like Bollywood’s “New Age Action Hero" Vidyut Jammwal, who is known for his incredible Kalaripayattu-powered feats, seems absurdly unattainable. The actor is believed to exercise for up to nine hours every day
15 hours ago
In the high-stakes arena of the 2026 Assam assembly elections, observers say Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has deployed a political strategy that is as audacious as it is effective: dismantling the Congress party by absorbing its most influential DNA. On March 19
15 hours ago
Indian man escorted off flight after demanding seat change from US-based techieA United States-based software developer has sparked a discussion on in-flight etiquette after refusing to switch seats with an Indian man on a plane Published on: Mar 22
15 hours ago
India faces an LPG crisis as the US-Israeli war on Iran disrupts shipments through the Strait of Hormuz, which supplies 85-90% of the country’s imports. Tanker delays and safety concerns have caused cylinder shortages, rising prices, and rationing, hitting households and eateries hard
15 hours ago
Comprehensive financial planning: Reflect on FY25 and plan for FY26 and beyondThe annual review of the financial year. Updated on: Mar 22, 2026 4:10 AM IST By Gopal Gidwani Share via Copy link The financial year-end is a good time to reflect on what worked well this year and what did not go as
15 hours ago
With the inauguration of the Noida International Airport in Jewar drawing closer, a key concern for travellers across Delhi-NCR is accessibility. While the airport promises to ease pressure on Delhi’s existing aviation infrastructure, its location in western Uttar Pradesh means commute time will
15 hours ago
Editorial independence is core to our work. Some links may earn us a commission, without influencing our opinions.7 Running watches that actually help you run better in 2026Running watches have changed how people track every mile. Here are seven options that stand out when it comes to performance
15 hours ago
This Tiramisu Day, indulge in one of the world’s most beloved desserts. With its irresistible layers of espresso-soaked sponge, velvety mascarpone, and a dusting of cocoa, tiramisu continues to inspire chefs and cafés to reinterpret it in both classic and contemporary ways
15 hours ago
Is playing music good for the brain?Studies show music boosts memory, brain function and may slow ageing, offering benefits far beyond performance or talent Updated on: Mar 21, 2026 3:31 PM IST The Economist Share via Copy link THE MEN who raided Joseph Haydn’s grave hoped that his genius would
15 hours ago
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, conveying Eid and Nowruz greetings and expressing hope for peace and stability in West Asia. He also condemned attacks on critical infrastructure, warning that such actions threaten regional stability and disrupt global
15 hours ago
The latest hike comes amid rising energy costs, including LPG and crude oil, which have increased operating expenses for restaurants and delivery partners, prompting platforms to adjust pricing. New Delhi: Food delivery platform Zomato has increased platform fee by 19.2 per cent or Rs 2
15 hours ago
