TOTAL FOCUS: Steve Hansen knows a thing of two about leadership.

The All Blacks may have been grounded in Auckland overnight after their flight to Santiago was cancelled, but their ambitions remain sky-high as they look to keep alive an unbeaten run dating back to November, 2012.

Former coach Sir Graham Henry created a few ripples when he suggested the world champions could do with some adversity ahead of their defence of the global crown next year in England.

Henry spoke of the benefits that come from regathering the forces following a defeat and wondered aloud if the All Blacks, who have lost only one test under Steve Hansen, might be the better for the introspection that follows a loss.

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But neither coach Hansen nor skipper Richie McCaw were buying that yesterday as they gathered for an unscheduled overnighter at the Auckland airport hotel when their flight, scheduled to depart yesterday afternoon, was cancelled because of earlier disruptions.

They will now fly out this morning and essentially miss a day’s recovery which they yesterday shrugged off as all but inconsequential as they prepare for tests against Argentina in La Plata and the Springboks in Johannesburg to round out their Rugby Championship campaign.

They were far less blasé, though, when asked about Henry’s theory.

Hansen evoked images of last year’s infamous whiteboard-gate in London when he spoke about the All Blacks looking to “change history” and gain the same benefits from a win as they might a defeat, while McCaw reflected on the pride of keeping standards high, regardless of a result.

“I understand what he’s trying to say,” Hansen said of the comments from his former boss. “Teams always dig deeper when they lose – that’s sport. You find the inconvenient facts a lot easier when you’re hurting.

“What we’ve tried to do over the last few years is find those things that make a difference to your performance when you’re winning, so you don’t have to lose.

“Losing hurts, it’s painful. We’ve had two draws which felt like losses. As long as we’re honest in our reviews and strong in our beliefs that we’re challenging ourselves enough, I don’t believe we have to lose.”

Hansen offered a thought that had echoes of that “best team in the history of the world” whiteboard message which drew a reaction in London last year.

“History tells us, yeah, you get better when you lose,” Hansen said. “But why can’t we change history and get better when we win? It’s a hell of a lot more enjoyable winning than losing.” McCaw offered similar sentiments, albeit couched a little more conservatively.

“We pride ourselves on looking at those little things without having to lose,” McCaw said. “Every time we play we want to win and be better than before, and hopefully we don’t have to go through the pain of losing to learn the lessons you’ve got to.”

Besides, the 12-12 draw with the Wallabies in Sydney in August was a defeat in all but name – a fact McCaw happily conceded.

“The response you saw that week [in Auckland], there was bit of edge there. We looked at things that we didn’t get right, but you’ve got to do that every week.

“Last week against South Africa wasn’t perfect either. You miss a tackle and let them over in the last minute and you’d be looking at it different. We’ve got to try look at it with the same sort of objectiveness if it had been the other way round. If you do that, hopefully you keep performing at a level that gives you a chance of winning every game.”

That 21-test undefeated run is likely to face its biggest threat in Johannesburg in a fortnight. But the All Blacks are fixed very firmly on the growing challenge of the Pumas, who continue to knock loudly at the door of that historic first victory in this competition.

“The more they play the top three sides, the better they have to become,” Hansen surmised. “They’ve got a big forward pack that can mix it with physicality and skill to a certain extent, and their backline is very skilful.”

Hansen yesterday confirmed Sam Whitelock, Liam Messam and Jerome Kaino would all be fit enough to be considered for selection to face the Pumas.