Will the All Blacks rediscover their magic during the fall tour?
Seeking what would be just a fifth 'Grand Slam' in their storied history, the New Zealand side have traveled to Europe at an crucial period.
Fixtures against the Irish team, Scotland, the English squad and the Welsh team await the New Zealand team across the next four weekends but, in addition to the chance to join the teams of previous successful tours in the history books, the fixtures will be used as a measure to evaluate the improvement of the side under a head coach now 24 months into from beginning his tenure.
Team Issues
Concerns over a lack of an clear playing identity, enduring debates over selection and leavings from the management team have all added to the feeling that the most famous squad in the rugby is presently one in a time of change.
Most pertinently, it is the decline in performances from a historic high watermark set between the World Cups of the last decade that has prompted some to suggest that we have evolved beyond of the period of New Zealand dominance.
Team Record
Ahead of their journey for the European tour, it was confirmed that next year, in the non-existence of the southern hemisphere competition, New Zealand will face the Springboks in a warm-weather tour called 'an unprecedented series'.
Historically the sport's top competitors, there is no question over who has lately dominated of what promoters have described 'The Ultimate Contest'.
In recent seasons, the Springboks have won a two of World Cups, three Rugby Championships and a series against the British and Irish Lions to be considered as the squad of their period.
New Zealand have persisted to defeat Ireland when it counts most, overcoming their next challengers in the World Cup quarter finals of recent years. They have, additionally, lost just a couple of the past 21 meetings with England, have overcome Wales in every encounter since over sixty years ago and have never suffered defeat by the Scottish team.
Changing Dynamics
But the loss of their standing as the rugby's benchmark will remain frustrating.
Although the New Zealand team dominated through the previous decade - winning 87% of their international games, as well as lifting the Webb Ellis on two occasions - the global tournament of 2019 can now be seen as when the hierarchical structure moved in the world sport.
New Zealand overcame the Springboks in their opening match of the competition in Japan, but it was the South Africans who were eventually successful in Yokohama.
After that event, the All Blacks' winning percentage has fallen to seventy-one percent. South Africa themselves lost 10 of their following games but, from the beginning of 2023, have won at a percentage (eighty-three percent) to rival even the former Kiwi champions.
Direct Competition
Throughout the same period, the Springboks have won the majority of the recent encounters between the teams, featuring victory in the recent championship match.
In claiming their most recent regional title, South Africa inflicted a significant beating on the New Zealand team through dominant performance in Wellington, a result which has ignited another wave of discussion about the progress of the team under Robertson.
Maybe most concerning for followers of the New Zealand team will be that, combined with their traditional strength, the Springboks' achievement has come with an attacking verve more commonly connected with their traditional rivals.
Style Evolution
When the New Zealand team were at the zenith of their capabilities in previous eras, they were a clinical transition team able of dismantling rivals from any part of the playing surface and at any moment of the contest.
Currently, their attacking style is unclear as their leader, who has handed out multiple new players during his recent tenure in command, tries to initially build the more prosaic core elements of a competitive squad.
It has already been confirmed that the assistant coach responsible for attack, their offensive coordinator, will exit the team after the fall series, becoming the additional person of the coaching staff to depart after Leon MacDonald walked away last year after just a handful of games.
Performance Gap
It was not just Robertson's success, but his methodology, that was predicted to carry over from Crusaders when he began his tenure after the global competition but, to date, both continue to be a work in progress.
Commercial Considerations
After financial organization the company bought a stake in New Zealand rugby in 2022, the subsequent announcement spoke of the "search of worldwide growth" for the brand.
That objective has possibly been harder by the shortage of a crossover star. The current captain and the group of Barrett brothers are still recognizable personalities in the game, but the spread of stars has never been spread wider. The captain is the sole All Black to earn international honors in the current era, in opposition to ten awards in 13 years between 2005 and '07.
Worldwide Reach
Instead, efforts have been made to establish the New Zealand team into emerging regions.
The first leg of this northern hemisphere series brings the All Blacks not to the Irish capital but the American city, a revisit to the Soldier Field venue where the Irish team secured a landmark success in the contest nine years ago.
After the reduction of pandemic limitations, the All Blacks have furthermore
