Can the All Blacks rediscover their winning form during the fall tour?
Aiming for what would be just a fifth 'Grand Slam' in their illustrious legacy, the All Blacks have embarked on their tour at an interesting juncture.
Fixtures against Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales await the All Blacks across the coming month but, in addition to the possibility to match the squads of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the history books, the matches will be used as a benchmark to evaluate the development of the squad under a leader now two years on from taking up the reins.
Current Challenges
Concerns over a lack of an clear playing identity, continuing controversies over team picks and exits from the management team have all added to the perception that the most recognisable team in the game is now one in a time of change.
Most significantly, it is the dip in outcomes from a historic high watermark set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has caused some to theorize that we have evolved beyond of the period of New Zealand dominance.
Past Performance
Prior to their journey for the European tour, it was revealed that during the following season, in the non-existence of the Rugby Championship, New Zealand will face South Africa in a warm-weather tour called 'an unprecedented series'.
Historically the rugby's premier teams, there is little doubt over who has recently got the better of what organizers have described 'The Ultimate Contest'.
In recent seasons, the Springboks have claimed a couple of World Cups, three Rugby Championships and a competition against the northern hemisphere selection to be considered as the team of their generation.
The All Blacks have persisted to defeat the Irish team when it is crucial, defeating their next challengers in the World Cup quarter finals of 2019 and '23. They have, at the same time, been defeated in just a couple of the last fixtures with England, have overcome Wales in each game since 1963 and have remained unbeaten by Scotland.
Changing Dynamics
But the decline of their position as the sport's measure of excellence will continue to rankle.
While the New Zealand team excelled through the last ten years - winning 87% of their fixtures, as well as claiming the Webb Ellis on several instances - the World Cup of 2019 can now be viewed as when the competitive landscape shifted in the global game.
New Zealand beat South Africa in their first game of the tournament in the host nation, but it was the South Africans who were eventually successful in Yokohama.
After that event, the All Blacks' success rate has fallen to seventy-one percent. The Springboks themselves lost ten of their subsequent fixtures but, commencing of last year, have achieved victory at a rate (83%) to rival even the last great New Zealand team.
Head-to-Head
During the same period, the South African team have won five of the recent encounters between the sides, comprising victory in the 2023 World Cup final.
During their pursuit of their most recent regional title, Rassie Erasmus' side administered a significant beating on the All Blacks thanks to 36 unanswered second-half points in Wellington, a result which has sparked another round of controversy regarding the development of the team under Robertson.
Maybe most troubling for fans of the All Blacks will be that, allied to their characteristic physicality, the Springboks' triumph has come with an creative approach more commonly connected with their own side.
Playing Philosophy
During the period when the New Zealand team were at the zenith of their powers a decade past, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit equipped of destroying competitors from every section of the field and at any moment of the contest.
Today, their attacking style is less defined as the coach, who has given 19 debuts during his recent tenure in control, tries to first establish the basic core elements of a competitive squad.
It has previously announced that the supporting manager in charge of attack, their offensive coordinator, will exit the team after the autumn tour, becoming the next individual of management team to depart after previous staff member walked away last year after just limited matches.
Performance Gap
It was not only his winning record, but his methodology, that was predicted to transfer from previous club when he assumed control after the recent tournament but, so far, both are still a work in progress.
Commercial Considerations
When investment group investors invested capital in New Zealand rugby in recent years, the ensuing statement spoke of the "pursuit of worldwide growth" for the team.
That objective has maybe been more difficult by the absence of a global icon. The current captain and the group of related players remain recognizable personalities in the sport, but the distribution of stars has never been spread wider. The captain is the single New Zealand player to win global recognition in the past six seasons, in contrast to ten awards in over a decade between the mid-2000s.
Global Expansion
Rather, attempts have been undertaken to introduce the New Zealand team into new territories.
The opening phase of this European campaign brings New Zealand not to Dublin but Chicago, a comeback to the location where Ireland achieved a landmark success in the match in previous seasons.
After the easing of pandemic limitations, the New Zealand team have also
