Can the All Blacks regain their spark this autumn?
Aiming for what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their legendary past, the All Blacks have embarked on their tour at an pivotal moment.
Fixtures against the Irish team, Scotland, the English squad and the Welsh team await the New Zealand team across the coming month but, quite aside from the chance to join the teams of previous successful tours in the annals of rugby, the matches will be used as a benchmark to evaluate the development of the side under a manager now well established from taking up the reins.
Present Difficulties
Questions over a absence of an clear playing identity, continuing controversies over team picks and exits from the management team have all contributed to the feeling that the most recognisable team in the sport is presently one in a state of flux.
Most significantly, it is the dip in performances from a previous peak set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has led some to speculate that we have evolved beyond of the age of Kiwi superiority.
Past Performance
Before their journey for the European tour, it was announced that in the coming year, in the absence of the southern hemisphere competition, the All Blacks will play South Africa in a off-season matches dubbed 'a unique competition'.
Historically the game's two strongest sides, there is clear agreement over who has recently got the better of what organizers have described 'The Premier Rivalry'.
Over the past seven years, the South African team have won a two of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a competition against the home nations team to be viewed as the squad of their generation.
The All Blacks have continued to defeat Ireland when it matters most, defeating their next challengers in the tournament knockout stages of 2019 and '23. They have, at the same time, lost just a pair of the past 21 meetings with the English team, have defeated Wales in each game since over sixty years ago and have remained unbeaten by the Scottish team.
Evolving Landscape
But the diminishment of their position as the game's gold standard will continue to rankle.
While the New Zealand team reigned supreme through the 2010s - securing eighty-seven percent of their fixtures, as well as lifting the World Cup on two occasions - the World Cup of the previous competition can now be seen as when the competitive landscape shifted in the world sport.
New Zealand defeated South Africa in their first game of the championship in Japan, but it was the South Africans who were ultimately triumphant in the championship match.
From that point, the All Blacks' victory ratio has declined to 71%. The Springboks themselves were defeated in 10 of their following games but, from the beginning of last year, have won at a frequency (83%) to rival even the previous All Blacks side.
Recent Encounters
During the same period, the South African team have won the majority of the seven meetings between the teams, featuring victory in the latest global tournament decider.
During their pursuit of their most recent continental championship, the Springboks inflicted a historic loss on the All Blacks courtesy of 36 unanswered second-half points in Wellington, a result which has triggered another round of controversy about the progress of the side under Robertson.
Maybe most troubling for fans of the All Blacks will be that, alongside their traditional strength, South Africa's achievement has come with an attacking verve more typically linked with their own side.
Playing Philosophy
During the period when the All Blacks were at the height of their capabilities in previous eras, they were a clinical transition team equipped of dismantling competitors from any part of the pitch and at all times of the contest.
Currently, their attacking style is less defined as Robertson, who has handed out numerous first caps during his two years in charge, tries to primarily create the fundamental foundations of a competitive squad.
It has recently revealed that the assistant coach in charge of offense, the current coach, will leave his role after the fall series, becoming the second member of Robertson's ticket to exit after previous staff member walked away last year after just five Tests.
Performance Gap
It was not only his winning record, but his approach, that was expected to transfer from his former team when he began his tenure after the global competition but, to date, the two aspects remain a continuous improvement.
Organizational Strategy
Following investment group investors invested capital in New Zealand rugby in recent years, the ensuing statement mentioned the "quest of new global opportunities" for the brand.
That objective has possibly been more difficult by the lack of a international celebrity. Ardie Savea and the collection of related players remain recognizable personalities in the game, but the concentration of stars has expanded significantly. Their leader is the single All Black to receive international honors in the current era, in opposition to 10 in multiple seasons between 2005 and '07.
Global Expansion
Rather, efforts have been undertaken to establish the New Zealand team into previously untapped markets.
The first leg of this 'Grand Slam' tour brings the All Blacks not to Dublin but Chicago, a comeback to the stadium where the Irish team secured a landmark success in the fixture in previous seasons.
After the easing of pandemic limitations, the New Zealand team have furthermore
