Can the New Zealand rugby team find their winning form during the fall tour?
Seeking what would be just a fifth 'Grand Slam' in their legendary past, the All Blacks have traveled to Europe at an interesting juncture.
Matches against Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales await Scott Robertson's side across the coming month but, quite aside from the possibility to join the teams of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the annals of rugby, the games will be used as a benchmark to evaluate the development of the side under a head coach now 24 months into from taking up the reins.
Current Challenges
Questions over a lack of an clear playing identity, continuing controversies over player choices and exits from the coaching ticket have all fueled the feeling that the most famous squad in the game is presently one in a period of transition.
Most pertinently, it is the decline in results from a past excellence set between the global tournaments of the last decade that has prompted some to theorize that we have transitioned away of the period of Kiwi superiority.
Recent History
Before their travel for the fall series, it was revealed that during the following season, in the lack of the southern hemisphere competition, New Zealand will face the Springboks in a warm-weather tour termed 'an unprecedented series'.
In the past the sport's top competitors, there is clear agreement over who has recently got the better of what organizers have called 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'.
In recent seasons, the South African team have secured a pair of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a series against the home nations team to be considered as the side of their era.
New Zealand have continued to overcome the Irish team when it is crucial, defeating this weekend's rivals in the tournament knockout stages of recent years. They have, additionally, lost just two of the recent encounters with England, have beaten the Welsh side in each game since 1963 and have remained unbeaten by the Scottish team.
Changing Dynamics
But the loss of their standing as the rugby's benchmark will continue to rankle.
While the New Zealand team excelled through the last ten years - achieving 87% of their international games, as well as winning the global trophy on two occasions - the global tournament of 2019 can now be regarded as when the balance of power moved in the global game.
New Zealand defeated South Africa in their initial fixture of the tournament in the host nation, but it was the Boks' who were ultimately triumphant in the championship match.
From that point, the All Blacks' victory ratio has fallen to 71%. The Springboks themselves lost 10 of their subsequent fixtures but, from the beginning of 2023, have achieved victory at a rate (83%) to rival even the previous All Blacks side.
Direct Competition
During the comparable duration, the Springboks have secured victory in five of the past fixtures between the opponents, comprising victory in the 2023 World Cup final.
In claiming their latest regional title, the Springboks administered a significant beating on the All Blacks courtesy of 36 unanswered second-half points in Wellington, a result which has ignited another wave of discussion about the progress of the side under the coach.
Maybe most concerning for followers of the New Zealand team will be that, alongside their usual power, the Springboks' triumph has come with an offensive flair more usually associated with their traditional rivals.
Playing Philosophy
At the time that the New Zealand team were at the zenith of their powers 10 years ago, they were a clinical transition team able of dismantling rivals from all areas of the field and at any point of the contest.
Today, their attacking style is unclear as their leader, who has given multiple new players during his two years in control, tries to first establish the fundamental core elements of a competitive squad.
It has recently revealed that the assistant coach in charge of scoring, Jason Holland, will depart his position after the fall series, becoming the additional person of management team to depart after previous staff member left last year after just a handful of games.
Performance Gap
It was not just his winning record, but his methodology, that was anticipated to transfer from Crusaders when he took over after the 2023 World Cup but, to date, both remain a work in progress.
Organizational Strategy
Following private equity firm the company invested capital in New Zealand rugby in the past, the subsequent announcement spoke of the "search of new global opportunities" for the team.
That objective has maybe been more difficult by the shortage of a crossover star. Their key player and the collection of related players are still well-known figures in the sport, but the concentration of key individuals has expanded significantly. Savea is the single New Zealand player to win global recognition in the recent years, in contrast to ten awards in 13 years between 2005 and '07.
Global Expansion
Instead, efforts have been undertaken 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 return to the location where the Irish team obtained a first ever victory in the contest during past tours.
Following the easing of health protocols, the All Blacks have furthermore
