Which year saw the greatest new class of All Blacks?

Analysis - Scott Robertson's tenure as All Blacks coach has so far seen seven names added to the list of 1220 All Blacks.

Cortez Ratima, Wallace Sititi, Billy Proctor, Noah Hotham, Sam Darry, George Bell and Pasilio Tosi are the latest crop of All Blacks in 2024.

The careers these players will have is yet to be revealed, but RNZ has delved into the archives to determine which year was the greatest for All Black debutants.

Here are the contenders.

1903

Billy Wallace (11), George Tyler (7), Billy Stead (7), Dave Gallaher (6), George Nicholson (4), Duncan McGregor (4).

• Gallaher: The OG.
• Tyler: Scored the first-ever test try for the All Blacks in the 22-3 win over Australia.
• Wallace: The first All Black to play 50 matches and score 50 points, his career total of 379, a record that stood for 50 years.
• Nicholson: The last surviving member of the Original All Blacks, he died in 1968.
• Stead: The team's first vice-captain, co-wrote The Complete Rugby Footballer.
• McGregor: Scored four tries against England in 1905, a feat not replicated until 1987.

1905

Fred Roberts (12), Jimmy Hunter (11), Alex McDonald (8), Frank Glasgow (6), Bob Deans (5).

• Roberts: Played more matches than any other All Black on the Originals tour with 30.
• Hunter: 44 tries on the tour of Britain, twice scoring five in a single match.
• McDonald: First man to coach and captain the All Blacks.
• Glasgow: The leading points-scorer in the forward pack on tour.
• Deans: Created the first piece of true folklore in Wales, brought the dawn of the Deans dynasty.

1924

George Nepia (9), Bert Cooke (8), Bill Dalley (5), Alan Robilliard (4), Cyril Brownlie (3).

• Nepia: The first true All Black superstar.
• Cooke: Scored the most tries, 23 in 25 appearances, on the Invincibles tour.
• Dalley: Carried the team from halfback in the post-Invincibles era.
• Robilliard: Revered for his performances during the squared series with the Boks in 1928.
• Brownlie: The first man to be sent off in a test.

1929

Herbie Lilburne, (10) Dick Steere (6), John Hore (10) Rube McWilliams (10) Bill Hazlett (8).

• Lilburne: The youngest-ever All Black captain at 21.
• Steere: Scored in the first few seconds of an All Black trial.
• Hore: Played a test against Scotland with a broken hand.
• McWilliams: The first All Black to play 10 consecutive tests.
• Hazlett: Touted as one of our greatest forwards at the time of his retirement aged just 25.

1946

Bob Scott (17), Fred Allen (6), Ron Elvidge (9), Has Catley (7).

• Scott: Could land a 50 metre place kick barefoot.
• Allen: The Needle was the greatest coach of his era.
• Elvidge: Famously left the field with a gaping gash and broken collarbone, only to return and score the winning try against the Lions in 1950.
• Catley: Was coach of the Waikato team that beat the Springboks in 1956.

1949

Kevin Skinner (20), Richard 'Tiny' White (36), Peter Johnstone (9), Arthur Hughes (6), Pat Crowley (6).

• Skinner: Also a heavyweight boxing champion, was called in to 'sort' the Springboks row in 1956.
• White: Never missed a test match during his career and was only subbed off once.
• Johnstone: Not only has a ground named after him in Dunedin, but he helped build it.
• Hughes: Played for the All Blacks before making his provincial debut.
• Crowley: Played the match of his life in a reduced six man pack against the Lions, has a granddaughter in the WWE.

1957

Colin Meads (55), Wilson Whinneray (32), Terry Lineen (12), Frank McMullen (11), Russell Watt (9).

• Meads: Awarded Player of the Century in 1999.
• Whinneray: Played 30 of his 32 tests as captain.
• Lineen: Regarded as ahead of his time due to his attacking nature, son Sean amassed 29 caps for Scotland.
• McMullen: Both played for and refereed the All Blacks, taking the whistle for the 1973 test against England.
• Wat: A superb strike rate of 28 tries in 42 games for New Zealand.

1963

Brian Lochore (25), Ken Gray (24), Chris Laidlaw (20), Ian McRae (17), Malcolm Dick (15), Earle Kirton (13).

• Lochore: Literally outgrew his dream of becoming a jockey.
• Gray: Refused to tour South Africa in 1970 in protest of apartheid.
• Laidlaw: Managed to keep the great Sid Going on the bench.
• McRae: A key member of the Hawke's Bay Ranfurly Shield reign of the sixties.
• Kirton: Lost just one test in his career.
• Dick: The leading try-scorer on the tour to Britain with 19.

1967

Ian Kirkpatrick (39), Sid Going (29), Sam Strahan (17), Brian Muller (14), Grahame Thorne (10).

• Kirkpatrick: Set records for consecutive tests played with 38 and tries scored with 16.
• Going: Even today is regarded as New Zealand's greatest running halfback.
• Thorne: Also hosted a cooking show on TV.
• Strahan: The best lineout jumper of his generation.
• Muller: 'Jazz' the giant got up every morning at 3am to eat a steak.

1983

Warwick Taylor (24), Jock Hobbs (21), Craig Green (20), Kieran Crowley (19), David Kirk (17).

• Taylor: Beat the Lions five times on their 1983 tour.
• Hobbs: Became chair of the New Zealand Rugby Union.
• Green: Bagged four tries against Fiji at the 1987 World Cup.
• Crowley: Went on to coach both Italy and Canada.
• Kirk: The first man to lift the William Webb Ellis Trophy.

1986

Sean Fitzpatrick (92), Richard Loe (49), Mike Brewer (32), Terry Wright (30), Joe Stanley (27), John Gallagher (18).

• Fitzpatrick: The most-capped All Black on retirement.
• Brewer: Played in all three loose forward positions for the All Blacks.
• Stanley: Made his debut for New Zealand at 29.
• Wright: Among the lighter All Blacks at around 75kg.
• Gallagher: Unbeaten as an All Black.
• Loe: The famous hardman played at three Rugby World Cups.

1995

Justin Marshall (81), Andrew Mehrtens (70), Josh Kronfeld (54), Taine Randall (51), Carlos Spencer (44), Glenn Osbourne (29) Todd Blackadder (12).

• Marshall: Coined the famous phrase 'Me oh my, I enjoyed that, yes boy.'
• Kronfeld: The quintessential support runner, often taking the last pass to finish spectacular tries.
• Mehrtens: Broke the record for highest test point scorer.
• Randall: The scapegoat for the failed 1999 Rugby World Cup campaign.
• Blackadder-: Led the side into the new millennium.
• Osbourne: The first call when Lomu was injured.
• Spencer: Sold as many dummys as he did Toffee Pops.

2001

Richie McCaw (148), Chris Jack (67), Jerry Collins (48), Carl Hayman (46), Aaron Mauger (46). Marty Holah (36),

• McCaw: The GOAT.
• Jack: Scored 11 minutes into his test debut.
• Collins: The renowned on-field enforcer was lost to us in 2015.
• Hayman: Tragically battling dementia at just 44 years old.
• Mauger: His bother and two uncles were also All Blacks.
• Holah: Was cursed to be born in the same era as McCaw.

2003

Dan Carter (112), Ma'a Nonu (103), Mils Muliaina (100), Brad Thorn (59), Joe Rokocoko (68).

• Carter: The All Blacks and World Rugby's highest point-scorer.
• Nonu: Formed the greatest centre pairing in All Blacks history.
• Muliaina: Was the second man to play 100 tests for New Zealand.
• Thorn: A dual international, having also played league for the Kangaroos.
• Rokocoko: Scored 25 tries in his first 20 tests.

2012

Beauden Barrett (125*), Aaron Smith (124), Brodie Retalick (109), Sam Cane (96*), Dane Coles (90), Julian Savea (54).

• Barrett: Third on the all-time test points-scoring list for the All Blacks.
• Smith: The All Blacks' most-capped halfback.
• Retalick: One half of the country's greatest locking duo.
• Cane: Definitely not just "A s*** Richie McCaw."
• Coles: Has scored the most tries for an All Black hooker with 23.
• Savea: 'The Bus' bagged a hat-trick on debut.

2016

Ardie Savea (86*), Reiko Ioane (73*), Anton Lienert-Brown (71*), Ofa Tuʻungafasi (61*), Scott Barrett, (60*), Damian McKenzie (52*).

• Savea: World Player of the Year in 2023.
• Ioane: The youngest All Blacks debutant since Jonah Lomu.
• Lienert-Brown: Moved north from the Christchurch Boys' All Blacks factory.
• Tuʻungafasi: Scrummed against his car to train during the Covid lockdowns.
• McKenzie: Gore's greatest export since Jenny Shipley.
• Barrett: Assumed the captaincy in 2024.

The rankings

• 1: 2012
• 2: 2016
• 3:1995
• 4:1903
• 5:1957
• 6: 2003
• 7: 1967
• 8: 1949
• 9: 2003
• 10: 1963
• 11: 1905
• 12: 1986
• 13: 1924
• 14: 2001
• 15: 1946
• 16: 1983
• 17: 1929

With three centurions, three captains, six world cup winners and two GOATS, the 2012 All Blacks class takes the crown.