A player exodus after a Rugby World Cups is inevitable, there have been clean-outs of sides after every staging of the event.
The world didn't end after the All Blacks won the 2015 World Cup when Richie McCaw, Dan Carter, Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Keven Mealamu and Tony Woodcock pulled out of the side. Other players stood up and took their chance. Beauden Barrett, for example, stepped out of Carter's shadow, and Sam Cane stepped up for McCaw.
Now, people are asking: What if Beauden Barrett takes off after the World Cup? Well, the sun will still come up tomorrow; Richie Mo'unga is in really good form.
When you think about Carter, who was a once-in-a-lifetime player, and his departure, there were a few players nipping at his heels: Barrett was one while Aaron Cruden and Lima Sopoaga were both waiting in the wings, too. New Zealand has this conveyor belt of players who will come through, it's called the circle of life.
You get a bit older so you move on and someone steps up. I have no concerns there will be any problems for the All Blacks.
The biggest factor for me is who is going to replace Steve Hansen? And the scary thing for me is that I see Dave Rennie is in the mix for the Australian job. New Zealand Rugby should be reaching out to Rennie as quickly as they possibly can. He's a class act and he is somebody who would be a top contender for the All Blacks job. He needs to be in the mix for that.
Unfortunately, the job itself is one that is going to be tough on whoever gets it. Hansen has created this impeccable record that whomever follows, to a large extent, is on a hiding to nothing. You either carry on the momentum or you are going to drop off; but it's going to be incredibly difficult for the next coach to be as successful as Hansen has been.
What happened with Hansen in 2011, and which carried over to 2015, was that we didn't have the four-year cycle that had dominated previous World Cups where a new coach would come in and set up a whole new environment. If New Zealand Rugby is smart, they will try and keep the ship steady; keep what has been set up there as far as systems and personnel goes, which is close to what they have right now minus captain Kieran Read, Ben Smith and Ryan Crotty, and keep moving forward.
Yes, a new head coach is appointed and comes in wanting to put his stamp on everything. But at the end of the day you wouldn't want to change a lot.
The Blues at the weekend showed a lot of grit, something they haven't done for years, and they hung in there right until the bitter end. That is what we are seeing from them this year.
Credit to Leon MacDonald and the whole team; they've matured and they're playing some good rugby.
As part of that I thought Ma'a Nonu had a great game. Some of his touches were classic Ma'a Nonu. The tries that were scored he put the guys away. His pass outside to Tom Robinson was just pinpoint. Is he in the mix for the Rugby World Cup? He's got to be, even if he was left out from the first All Blacks foundation day.
Nonu has that experience. There's one thing about World Cups, whatever players you take you can't replace experience of players who have been there and done that; in the heat of battle they know what's needed.
It makes it interesting because the midfield is so congested. Is he a dead certainty? No. But Steve Hansen has to pull out the pencil and add his name to the mix. It is going to make for interesting times when the side is selected.
I've never really seen anyone go overseas and then come back and recapture the form they had before they went, especially among the backs. But Nonu is special, the number of Test matches he's played, he's been around forever and at the end of the day you can't replace muscle.
Nonu is a brute and his defence against the Waratahs showed just how tough he is. His physicality adds a lot.
In talking about players going overseas and not performing to the level they have in New Zealand before they left, and Julian Savea and Lima Sopoaga are two, among others, who have been the subject of comment, I think the New Zealand rugby environment shelters players a little bit.
What a lot of players don't realise is the true professional has to come through when leaving New Zealand. Here fans adore the players. They're looked after, they're given everything and they are pampered to a certain degree. You're a local hero, whether for the All Blacks or Super Rugby, you're the pinnacle.
But as soon as you go to another country, you're a foreigner. You don't play for England, you don't play for France, or you don't play for Ireland, Scotland or Wales. You're a foreigner from the South Pacific.
You have to earn the fans' respect, and they will be extra hard on you because you're paid the big bucks and you have to deliver. A lot of these players think it is going to be like playing Super Rugby in New Zealand or playing for the All Blacks. It's not, it's completely different.
You cannot go over there and think rugby is easier. It's not easier, it's harder because the skill level may not be as good but you have to be better than your teammates. You're the one dropping the ball even though the pass you got was dreadful. You're still going to be the one who gets the blame.
Coping with that is interesting. Having experienced it myself, it can take a while to adapt. But once you get the fans' respect it is great. It was fantastic, I loved every bit of it.
We're sheltered in New Zealand. We're put on a pedestal but when you're in another country you have to do it how they do.
I was lucky at Wasps, I wasn't in a glamorous position at prop. But guys like Lawrence Dallaglio, Josh Lewsey and Simon Shaw were adored because they were the England heroes and I was just a guy who was part of the team. But with a couple of trophies, and playing some of the better rugby of my career, the fans adopted me and it was quite cool. However, players need to be aware of having a changed mindset.