Will the All Blacks rediscover their winning form during the fall tour?
Pursuing what would be just a fifth tour victory in their legendary past, the New Zealand side have embarked on their tour at an crucial period.
Matches against Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales await Scott Robertson's side across the upcoming weeks but, quite aside from the possibility to join the teams of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the history books, the games will be used as a yardstick to evaluate the development of the side under a leader now 24 months into from assuming control.
Present Difficulties
Concerns over a lack of an clear playing identity, continuing controversies over team picks and departures from the management team have all fueled the sense that the best-known side in the rugby is currently one in a state of flux.
Most significantly, it is the decline in outcomes from a past excellence set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has led some to theorize that we have moved out of the era of Kiwi superiority.
Past Performance
Ahead of their travel for the northern hemisphere, it was revealed that in the coming year, in the absence of the southern hemisphere competition, New Zealand will meet South Africa in a off-season matches termed 'a tour like no other'.
In the past the game's two strongest sides, there is clear agreement over who has lately dominated of what marketers have described 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'.
During the last decade, the South African team have claimed a two of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a tour against the home nations team to be regarded as the side of their period.
The All Blacks have persisted to beat Ireland when it counts most, beating Saturday's opponents in the global competition of 2019 and '23. They have, at the same time, been defeated in 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 never suffered defeat by the Scottish team.
Shifting Balance
But the diminishment of their standing as the rugby's benchmark will continue to rankle.
Although the New Zealand team dominated through the 2010s - achieving eighty-seven percent of their Test matches, as well as winning the World Cup on multiple times - the World Cup of the previous competition can now be viewed as when the competitive landscape changed in the global game.
New Zealand overcame the Springboks in their initial fixture of the championship in Japan, but it was the South Africans who were ultimately triumphant in Yokohama.
From that point, the All Blacks' success rate has fallen to seventy-one percent. The Springboks themselves were defeated in ten of their following games but, since the start of 2023, have achieved victory at a percentage (eighty-three percent) to compete with even the former Kiwi champions.
Head-to-Head
Throughout the comparable duration, the South African team have won the majority of the past fixtures between the opponents, featuring triumph in the recent championship match.
During their pursuit of their latest regional title, Rassie Erasmus' side administered a historic loss on the All Blacks thanks to overwhelming display in their home ground, a result which has sparked another wave of debate concerning the development of the squad under their leader.
Possibly most concerning for supporters of the All Blacks will be that, combined with their characteristic physicality, South Africa's success has come with an creative approach more typically linked with their opposition team.
Style Evolution
At the time that the New Zealand team were at the height of their capabilities in previous eras, they were a devastating offensive machine equipped of shredding opponents from any part of the playing surface and at any moment of the game.
Today, their offensive approach is unclear as their leader, who has given numerous first caps during his recent tenure in command, tries to initially build the fundamental building blocks of a competitive squad.
It has recently revealed that the assistant coach in charge of offense, their offensive coordinator, will leave his role after the upcoming matches, becoming the second member of Robertson's ticket to leave after another coach walked away last year after just a handful of games.
Expectations vs Reality
It was not just previous achievements, but his style, that was anticipated to carry over from previous club when he began his tenure after the recent tournament but, as yet, the two aspects remain a continuous improvement.
Commercial Considerations
When investment group the company acquired shares in All Blacks in the past, the subsequent announcement discussed the "quest of worldwide growth" for the team.
That task has perhaps been more difficult by the absence of a international celebrity. The current captain and the collection of Barrett brothers are still household names in the game, but the distribution of talented players has become more diverse. The captain is the single New Zealand player to receive international honors in the past six seasons, in opposition to 10 in 13 years between 2005 and '07.
Global Expansion
Alternatively, initiatives 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 comeback to the location where the Irish team secured a landmark success in the contest nine years ago.
Following the relaxation of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the New Zealand team have additionally
