Can the New Zealand rugby team regain their spark this autumn?
Aiming for what would be just a fifth 'Grand Slam' in their legendary past, the All Blacks have embarked on their tour at an crucial period.
Fixtures against the Irish team, Scotland, the English squad and the Welsh team await the All Blacks across the next four weekends but, in addition to the chance to join the sides of previous successful tours in the annals of rugby, the games will be used as a benchmark to measure the development of the team under a leader now well established from assuming control.
Present Difficulties
Questions over a absence of an distinctive approach, continuing controversies over player choices and exits from the backroom staff have all contributed to the perception that the most famous squad in the game is now one in a period of transition.
Most significantly, it is the drop in performances from a historic high watermark set between the global tournaments of 2011 and 2019 that has caused some to speculate that we have moved out of the period of New Zealand dominance.
Recent History
Before their departure for the northern hemisphere, it was announced that next year, in the absence of the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks will face the Springboks in a warm-weather tour dubbed 'a tour like no other'.
Traditionally the game's two strongest sides, there is no question over who has lately dominated of what promoters have called 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'.
During the last decade, the Springboks have claimed a couple of World Cups, three southern hemisphere titles and a tour against the home nations team to be considered as the side of their period.
The All Blacks have maintained to defeat the Irish team when it matters most, defeating Saturday's opponents in the World Cup quarter finals of 2019 and '23. They have, meanwhile, lost just a couple of the past 21 meetings with England, have defeated the Welsh side in each game since the sixties and have remained unbeaten by Scotland.
Evolving Landscape
But the loss of their position as the sport's measure of excellence will continue to rankle.
Whereas the New Zealand team reigned supreme through the last ten years - securing 87% of their fixtures, as well as claiming the World Cup on multiple times - the global tournament of the previous competition can now be viewed as when the balance of power changed in the global game.
New Zealand overcame the Springboks in their initial fixture of the championship in Japan, but it was the Boks' who were ultimately triumphant in the final.
From that point, the New Zealand's success rate has fallen to seventy-one percent. South Africa themselves lost ten of their next 26 Test matches but, since the start of last year, have won at a frequency (83%) to rival even the former Kiwi champions.
Recent Encounters
Over the equivalent timeframe, the South African team have secured victory in the majority of the seven meetings between the sides, including success in the 2023 World Cup final.
While securing their most recent regional title, the Springboks delivered a historic loss on the New Zealand team thanks to overwhelming display in the capital, a score which has triggered another round of debate concerning the progress of the squad under Robertson.
Perhaps most troubling for followers of the All Blacks will be that, allied to their characteristic physicality, the Springboks' achievement has come with an offensive flair more usually associated with their opposition team.
Style Evolution
When the New Zealand team were at the height of their capabilities 10 years ago, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit capable of destroying rivals from every section of the playing surface and at all times of the match.
Today, their attacking style is unclear as the coach, who has given numerous first caps during his two years in control, tries to first establish the fundamental core elements of a successful side.
It has already been confirmed that the supporting manager responsible for scoring, Jason Holland, will depart his position after the fall series, making him the additional person of management team to leave after Leon MacDonald left last year after just limited matches.
Performance Gap
It was not merely his winning record, but his methodology, that was expected to translate from his former team when he took over after the recent tournament but, so far, both are still a work in progress.
Business Factors
When investment group the company invested capital in All Blacks in 2022, the subsequent announcement discussed the "quest of international expansion" for the organization.
That task has perhaps been harder by the shortage of a crossover star. Their key player and the group of Barrett brothers continue to be well-known figures in the rugby, but the concentration of talented players has expanded significantly. The captain is the only New Zealand player to win international honors in the current era, in comparison to 10 in 13 years between 2005 and '07.
Worldwide Reach
Alternatively, efforts have been implemented to establish the All Blacks into new territories.
The first leg of this northern hemisphere series brings New Zealand not to the Irish capital but Chicago, a comeback to the stadium where the Irish team secured a first ever victory in the fixture during past tours.
Following the easing of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the New Zealand team have furthermore
