And, since his election, the country has been wracked with devastating food shortages, a breakdown of ordinary services and medical care, and rampant violence.
They remain, though, the yardstick for other sides: proficient in the set pieces, expert at the breakdown and devastating on the counterattack.
That quickness of thought was never more evident than in Liam Messam's counter-attacking try off turnover ball against Wales; the 21 turnovers that the home side conceded an equally painful reminder of the All Blacks' devastating work at the breakdown.
If their families, whose lives are frequently devastated by the breakdown of one member, are included, then a big chunk of the population is involved.
After years of being an assistant to Billie Jean King, tasting success as the assistant at the 2000 Sydney Games and watching her team race off to a great start, Garrison was devastated by the breakdown yesterday.
For a woman experiencing that knot of panic from a missed period or devastating news – sickness, job loss, relationship breakdown – during a planned pregnancy, these things are vital.
Future research could also include a focus on "wildcards": rather unlikely events which could have significant impact on the industry, for example steam cracker breakdowns, zero emission controls and devastating conflicts between the Eastern and Western countries.
He was devastating in the loose, alert at the breakdown and generally one happy number eight.
The success of many entrepreneurial efforts hinges on cooperation over time, so a breakdown in trust can be devastating.
Charles Ferguson, working in more conventional form in "Inside Job," gathered together the essential facts of the economic breakdown and financial malfeasance into brisk units spiced with devastating interviews.
