They had not been beaten in a major regatta since they teamed up in the wake of the 2008 Games in Beijing, and that incredible record never looked like being broken as they sashayed through the buildup campaign to another dominant Olympic gold in Rio.
For a glorious couple of months in the middle of the year Steve Hansen's All Blacks were playing the rugby of gods, sweeping all before them with a devastating mix of high-tempo attacking brilliance and unyielding defensive fortitude.