Can the New Zealand rugby team rediscover their winning form during the fall tour?
Pursuing what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their illustrious legacy, the All Blacks have embarked on their tour at an pivotal moment.
Matches against the Irish team, the Scottish side, the English squad and the Welsh team await Scott Robertson's side across the coming month but, quite aside from the opportunity to equal the squads of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the record books, the games will be used as a benchmark to assess the development of the team under a leader now 24 months into from taking up the reins.
Current Challenges
Doubts over a lack of an clear playing identity, enduring debates over team picks and leavings from the management team have all fueled the sense that the best-known side in the game is currently one in a period of transition.
Most importantly, it is the drop in outcomes from a historic high watermark set between the global tournaments of the last decade that has led some to theorize that we have moved out of the period of All Black exceptionalism.
Team Record
Before their departure for the European tour, it was announced that in the coming year, in the non-existence of the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks will meet the Springboks in a warm-weather tour called 'an unprecedented series'.
Historically the rugby's premier teams, there is clear agreement over who has currently outperformed of what marketers have called 'The Premier Rivalry'.
Over the past seven years, the Springboks have secured a couple of global tournaments, three southern hemisphere titles and a tour against the northern hemisphere selection to be considered as the team of their era.
The All Blacks have continued to beat Ireland when it counts most, beating Saturday's opponents in the global competition of 2019 and '23. They have, meanwhile, been defeated in just two of the last fixtures with the English team, have beaten Wales in every encounter since over sixty years ago and have remained unbeaten by Scotland.
Changing Dynamics
But the loss of their standing as the game's gold standard will continue to rankle.
While the All Blacks dominated through the last ten years - achieving 87% of their fixtures, as well as winning the World Cup on multiple times - the global tournament of the previous competition can now be seen as when the balance of power moved in the world sport.
The All Blacks overcame South Africa in their opening match of the competition in the host nation, but it was the Boks' who were eventually successful in the championship match.
From that point, the All Blacks' winning percentage has declined to seventy-one percent. South Africa themselves lost 10 of their following games but, commencing of 2023, have achieved victory at a frequency (83%) to match even the last great New Zealand team.
Head-to-Head
Throughout the same period, the South African team have won the majority of the past fixtures between the opponents, including victory in the latest global tournament decider.
In claiming their current southern hemisphere crown, the Springboks administered a historic loss on the New Zealand team through 36 unanswered second-half points in the capital, a result which has ignited another series of discussion about the direction of the side under Robertson.
Perhaps most concerning for followers of the All Blacks will be that, allied to their traditional strength, the Springboks' triumph has come with an offensive flair more typically linked with their traditional rivals.
Team Identity
At the time that the All Blacks were at the zenith of their abilities a decade past, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit capable of shredding competitors from any part of the field and at any point of the game.
Now, their playing philosophy is unclear as Robertson, who has awarded 19 debuts during his recent tenure in control, tries to primarily create the basic core elements of a successful side.
It has already been confirmed that the backroom staff member in charge of attack, their offensive coordinator, will leave his role after the fall series, making him the additional person of management team to exit after another coach walked away last year after just limited matches.
Team Development
It was not just Robertson's success, but his approach, that was anticipated to carry over from his former team when he assumed control after the recent tournament but, so far, both continue to be a work in progress.
Organizational Strategy
Following financial organization the company invested capital in All Blacks in the past, the following communication mentioned the "search of international expansion" for the organization.
That goal has possibly been harder by the lack of a global icon. The current captain and the group of Barrett brothers remain well-known figures in the rugby, but the distribution of stars has expanded significantly. The captain is the single New Zealand player to earn international honors in the past six seasons, in opposition to 10 in over a decade between previous generations.
International Growth
Alternatively, efforts have been implemented to introduce the New Zealand team into previously untapped markets.
The initial stage of this 'Grand Slam' tour brings the All Blacks not to the Irish capital but the American city, a revisit to the stadium where Ireland obtained a historic win in the fixture nine years ago.
After the relaxation of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the All Blacks have furthermore
