All Blacks coach Steve Hansen masterminded the defence of the Webb Ellis Cup. Now his team, which has won its last 17 tests, is on the cusp of setting a new world record for consecutive victories.

It all started in Auckland on August 15 2015, when the All Blacks demolished the Wallabies 41-13 at Eden Park. There couldn't have been a more fitting farewell for Richie McCaw, who, along with a number of team-mates, had played his last game on New Zealand soil. It also marked the start of the All Blacks' charge towards a world record.

A victory over the Aussies in Auckland on October 22 will stretch their winning run to 18, a new milestone for a tier-one nation. Here's a look at how it has all happened.

WIN: 17

PHOTOSPORT Kieran Read, left, has captained the All Blacks in all of their nine wins this season. He replaced Richie McCaw, following his retirement after the World Cup.

October 9 2016: All Blacks 57 South Africa 15

Durban, South Africa

Trouble. The revelation that Aaron Smith ducked into a commode for the disabled at Christchurch Airport with a lady friend results in him being publicly shamed and suspended. All hell breaks loose off the park, but the halfback isn't really missed on it.

PHOTOSPORT Anton Lienert-Brown has proved to have a calm temperament at test level since being fast-tracked into the All Blacks this year.

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The ABs post a record score against a Springboks side that relies on a primitive game plan to be implemented by a limited playmaker in Morne Steyn. It was like watching someone try to sink a battleship with a spud gun. Nine tries to the ABs. Zip to the Boks. That says it all.

GETTY IMAGES The form of blindside flanker Jerome Kaino has ensured the All Blacks forward pack remains in top form.

WIN: 16

October 2 2016: All Blacks 36 Argentina 17

Buenos Aires, Argentina

GETTY IMAGES The All Blacks' management celebrate winning the Bledisloe Cup. They are, from left, Mike Cron, Ian Foster, Gilbert Enoka, Steve Hansen and Wayne Smith.

Liam Squire gets his first start at blindside flanker. Lock Patrick Tuipulotu goes like a rocket in a rare start, Anton Lienert-Brown was as steady as a sniper's pulse at centre. Up 29-3 at halftime, the New Zealanders bring out the pillows and cups of Milo in the second spell. Joe Moody and Squire get yellow cards late in the game.

WIN: 15

September 17 2016: All Blacks 41 South Africa 13

Christchurch, NZ

A few talking points here, none of them very positive if you are a Springboks supporter. All Blacks' hooker Dane Coles reinforces why he is the best at his craft in the world; his running and passing games were superb, and halfback Smith went alright too. Owen Franks, the tighthead prop sets a world record for not scoring a try in 83 tests. No, he's not too bothered by it.

WIN: 14

September 10 2016: All Blacks 57 Argentina 22

Hamilton, NZ

Argentina take it to their opponents for around 50 minutes, and it's stirring stuff. That's before the All Blacks remember they are allowed to defend around the ruck fringes, and by adjusting their bodies in the tackles they ensure the ball is properly presented in the breakdowns. Flanker Sam Cane tears a hamstring: his Rugby Championship is over.

WIN: 13

August 27 2016: All Blacks 29 Australia 9

Wellington, NZ

The Aussies suddenly want to behave like half-witted wide boys. Lock Adam Coleman gets a yellow card for a late charge on Ben Smith, and Scott Fardy also tries to be a big shot with his niggle. Lienert-Brown makes his debut for the All Blacks, while prop Franks attracts major heat after the match for clumsily rubbing his mitts over an opponent's face. That creates an uproar on both sides of the equator, but he isn't cited. The win secures the Bledisloe Cup for the New Zealanders. Again.

WIN: 12

August 20 2016: All Blacks 42 Australia 8

Sydney, Australia

Come on, who did it? A listening device is found buried inside a chair in the All Blacks' meeting room and suddenly fingers are being pointed in every direction. Was it the Wallabies, a big-money punter or someone who simply has a fetish for eavesdropping on private conversations? It overshadows the game. The All Blacks lose hooker Codie Taylor soon after kick-off, forcing Coles to play with damaged ribs for 78 minutes. Hell, that must have hurt. The Aussies were also awful.

WIN: 11

June 25 2016: All Blacks 46 Wales 6

Dunedin, NZ

A first test cap for flanker Elliot Dixon, a decent game by George Moala at centre. Playmaker Beauden Barrett scores 26 points, including two tries, under the roof. Wales were terrible, there's no nice way of saying it. The 3-0 series whitewash is a fair indictment on the gap between the nations.

WIN: 10

June 18 2016: All Blacks 36 Wales 22

Wellington, NZ

No Julian Savea. Shelved. A lacklustre effort in Auckland convinced the selectors he would benefit from building his confidence on a sedate training pitch rather than in the white-hot heat of a test match. More frustration for the big No 11. Five-eighth Aaron Cruden suffers a neck injury, and his replacement Barrett didn't waste the chance. He's made his move and is on his way to confirming he is the best No 10 on the planet.

WIN: 9

June 11 2016: All Blacks 39 Wales 21

Auckland, NZ

This first test was when Wales had their best chance of claiming victory on NZ soil. Having shed 800 test caps over the off-season, the All Blacks should have been vulnerable. Nope. They bumbled about for 50 minutes, then hit the gas. A new era begins in reasonable style.

WIN: 8

November 1 2015: All Blacks 34 Australia 17

London, England (RWC final)

The Webb Ellis Cup is still New Zealand's Cup.

The great Richie McCaw was allowed to sign-off on his magnificent career like a king, along with Carter, Smith, Nonu et al. The yellow carding of fullback Ben Smith for a tip-tackle was fair, and that really made a few pulses jump as the Aussies sought to exploit the space in the back field.

Carter departed with a couple of magical touches; a drop goal and a right-footed conversion at the death among them.

WIN: 7

October 25 2015: All Blacks 20 South Africa 18

London, England (RWC semifinal)

You have to wonder what the hell has happened to the Springboks since this knuckle-chewing epic at Twickers. No, they didn't score any tries but victory was within their grasp, meaning they could have been 80 minutes away from World Cup glory ... Now they are in the outhouse. It's a bit sad, really.

Tries to Jerome Kaino and Barrett got the ABs home. So did their strategy of nudging the ball in behind the Springboks' line, forcing them to retreat in the wet, slippery conditions.

WIN: 6

October 18 2015: All Blacks 62 France 13

Cardiff, France (RWC quarterfinal)

There was talk of "revolution" within the French ranks, with coach Philippe Saint-Andre supposedly on the mat ahead of the quarterfinal. Sound familiar? In the 2011 tournament les Bleus players were down on coach Marc Lievremont, but almost beat the All Blacks in the final at Eden Park.

But this French side was nothing like the class of 2011. They were more shambolic, lacking cohesion or physicality. Savea scored three tries, carving apart weak French tackles like an axe through dry pine.

Another loosehead prop falls over. Wyatt Crockett has a groin injury, his tournament is finito.

WIN: 5

October 10 2015: All Blacks 47 Tonga 9

Newcastle, England (RWC pool game)

Tony Woodcock's rugby career ended in the 42nd minute of the match at St James Park, the loosehead prop retiring with a torn hamstring in his 118th and final test. It proved to be another slow-burning performance by the ABs, who only led 14-3 at halftime against such modest opposition. Hardly a vintage effort, and some supporters were getting jittery.

Calm down, said coach Steve Hansen. It's all under control.

WIN: 4

October 3 2015: All Blacks 43 Georgia 10

Cardiff, Wales (RWC pool game)

Seven tries, three to left wing Savea, ensured the fuel tank didn't have to be bled dry. The performance wasn't that flash, though, and a minor leg injury suffered by Richie McCaw ruled him out of the final pool game.

Georgia captain Mamuka Gorgodze, the big flanker from Tbilisi, got the man of the match gong. A sentimental selection, perhaps, but he seemed genuinely stoked.

WIN: 3

September 25 2015: All Blacks 58 Namibia 14

London, England (RWC pool game)

Sam Cane was surprisingly named captain as the selectors went into rotation-mode at Olympic Stadium. Yes, the All Blacks won easily. No, it wasn't very memorable. No wonder openside flanker Cane's mood was so flat at the post-match press conference. The second-string ABs team should have done better.

WIN: 2

September 21 2015: All Blacks 26 Argentina 16

London, England (RWC pool game)

Almost 90,000 fans got their money's worth as they watched the All Blacks outscore the Pumas by two tries to one on a sunny afternoon at Wembley Stadium. McCaw and Conrad Smith were yellow carded in the first half, the ABs trailed 13-12 at halftime and things looks a bit shaky for the defending champs. A converted try to Cane in the 66th minute changed all that.

WIN: 1

August 15 2015: All Blacks 41 Australia 13

Auckland, NZ

Some vital cogs inside Michael Cheika's brain must have slipped their moorings while he was in the process of selecting his Wallabies team for this encounter. Having won the Rugby Championship by beating the All Blacks 27-19 in Sydney a week earlier, the Aussies went on the hunt for the Bledisloe Cup.

Their visit to Eden Park was an unmitigated disaster. Cheika's decision to make changes, and starting Quade Cooper at No 10 was the most controversial, backfired.

It was to be the last time McCaw played on NZ soil.