Will the All Blacks rediscover their winning form during the fall tour?
Seeking what would be just a fifth tour victory in their illustrious legacy, the New Zealand side have embarked on their tour at an interesting juncture.
Games against the Irish team, Scotland, the English squad and Wales await Scott Robertson's side across the next four weekends but, in addition to the chance to match the sides of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the annals of rugby, the fixtures will be used as a benchmark to measure the improvement of the team under a leader now well established from taking up the reins.
Current Challenges
Doubts over a lack of an identifiable style, continuing controversies over team picks and departures from the coaching ticket have all contributed to the sense that the most famous squad in the rugby is currently one in a state of flux.
Most significantly, it is the drop in outcomes from a previous peak set between the World Cups of the last decade that has caused some to suggest that we have evolved beyond of the age of New Zealand dominance.
Past Performance
Ahead of their departure for the fall series, it was confirmed that during the following season, in the lack of the Rugby Championship, New Zealand will face South Africa in a warm-weather tour called 'a unique competition'.
Historically the game's two strongest sides, there is clear agreement over who has currently outperformed of what marketers have called 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'.
In recent seasons, the South African team have won a two of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a competition against the northern hemisphere selection to be viewed as the squad of their era.
New Zealand have persisted to beat the Irish team when it is crucial, beating this weekend's rivals in the global competition of the past two tournaments. They have, at the same time, lost just a couple of the recent encounters with the English team, have defeated Wales in every encounter since 1963 and have remained unbeaten by Scotland.
Shifting Balance
But the loss of their standing as the rugby's benchmark will persist as an irritation.
While the New Zealand team excelled through the previous decade - winning eighty-seven percent of their fixtures, as well as winning the Webb Ellis on multiple times - the global tournament of the previous competition can now be seen as when the hierarchical structure shifted in the international rugby.
The All Blacks overcame South Africa in their first game of the tournament in Japan, but it was the South Africans who were finally victorious in the championship match.
From that point, the New Zealand's success rate has declined to seventy-one percent. The Springboks themselves lost 10 of their subsequent fixtures but, since the start of last year, have won at a percentage (83%) to rival even the previous All Blacks side.
Recent Encounters
Over the comparable duration, the 'Boks have won the majority of the recent encounters between the teams, including success in the 2023 World Cup final.
In claiming their current regional title, Rassie Erasmus' side inflicted a historic loss on the New Zealand team through dominant performance in the capital, a outcome which has sparked another series of controversy regarding the direction of the squad under their leader.
Maybe most jarring for fans of the All Blacks will be that, allied to their characteristic physicality, South Africa's triumph has come with an attacking verve more typically linked with their traditional rivals.
Playing Philosophy
During the period when the All Blacks were at the zenith of their abilities in previous eras, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit able of shredding opponents from all areas of the field and at any moment of the match.
Today, their attacking style is more ambiguous as their leader, who has given numerous first caps during his recent tenure in charge, tries to initially build the basic core elements of a successful side.
It has previously announced that the assistant coach overseeing scoring, the current coach, will depart his position after the upcoming matches, making him the second member of management team to exit after another coach walked away last year after just five Tests.
Team Development
It was not just previous achievements, but his style, that was predicted to transfer from Crusaders when he began his tenure after the global competition but, as yet, each remain a ongoing development.
Commercial Considerations
When financial organization the company bought a stake in New Zealand rugby in the past, the subsequent announcement mentioned the "quest of new global opportunities" for the organization.
That task has perhaps been harder by the shortage of a crossover star. Ardie Savea and the trio of Barrett brothers continue to be recognizable personalities in the game, but the spread of talented players has expanded significantly. Savea is the single All Black to earn World Player of the Year in the current era, in comparison to 10 in over a decade between the mid-2000s.
International Growth
Instead, initiatives have been implemented to transplant the New Zealand team into new territories.
The initial stage of this northern hemisphere series brings New Zealand not to the Irish capital but the American city, a revisit to the Soldier Field venue where the Irish team obtained a historic win in the match during past tours.
Following the relaxation of pandemic limitations, the New Zealand team have furthermore
