Will the All Blacks rediscover their spark during the fall tour?
Aiming for what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their legendary past, the All Blacks have headed north at an pivotal moment.
Fixtures against Ireland, Scotland, the English squad and the Welsh team await the New Zealand team across the coming month but, beyond the chance to join the squads of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the annals of rugby, the matches will be used as a yardstick to assess the progress of the side under a head coach now two years on from beginning his tenure.
Current Challenges
Questions over a shortage of an clear playing identity, ongoing discussions over selection and leavings from the backroom staff have all fueled the sense that the most famous squad in the sport is currently one in a state of flux.
Most significantly, it is the dip in outcomes from a previous peak set between the World Cups of the last decade that has prompted some to theorize that we have transitioned away of the period of All Black exceptionalism.
Recent History
Before their journey for the fall series, it was confirmed that during the following season, in the absence of the southern hemisphere competition, the All Blacks will face South Africa in a summer series termed 'a unique competition'.
Traditionally the sport's top competitors, there is little doubt over who has currently outperformed of what promoters have labeled 'The Ultimate Contest'.
Over the past seven years, the South African team have claimed a two of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a competition against the home nations team to be viewed as the squad of their period.
New Zealand have persisted to defeat Ireland when it matters most, beating this weekend's rivals in the global competition of recent years. They have, at the same time, lost just two of the past 21 meetings with the English team, have overcome the Welsh side in each game since over sixty years ago and have always been victorious by Scotland.
Evolving Landscape
But the decline of their position as the rugby's benchmark will continue to rankle.
Although the New Zealand team reigned supreme through the last ten years - achieving 87% of their international games, as well as winning the Webb Ellis on two occasions - the World Cup of 2019 can now be viewed as when the hierarchical structure changed in the international rugby.
New Zealand defeated South Africa in their initial fixture of the tournament in Japan, but it was the Boks' who were ultimately triumphant in Yokohama.
After that event, the All Blacks' winning percentage has fallen to seventy-one percent. South Africa themselves were defeated in 10 of their following games but, since the start of 2023, have won at a percentage (eighty-three percent) to match even the previous All Blacks side.
Recent Encounters
Over the comparable duration, the 'Boks have secured victory in the majority of the past fixtures between the opponents, including success in the 2023 World Cup final.
While securing their latest regional title, Rassie Erasmus' side delivered a historic loss on the New Zealand team courtesy of overwhelming display in their home ground, a score which has triggered another series of controversy concerning the progress of the squad under Robertson.
Perhaps most jarring for supporters of the New Zealand team will be that, combined with their characteristic physicality, South Africa's achievement has come with an creative approach more typically linked with their traditional rivals.
Style Evolution
When the New Zealand team were at the zenith of their capabilities a decade past, they were a clinical transition team equipped of dismantling competitors from any part of the field and at any moment of the contest.
Currently, their attacking style is less defined as their leader, who has given numerous first caps during his 24 months in command, tries to primarily create the more prosaic building blocks of a winning team.
It has previously announced that the assistant coach overseeing scoring, their offensive coordinator, will leave his role after the autumn tour, becoming the next individual of management team to exit after another coach walked away last year after just limited matches.
Expectations vs Reality
It was not only Robertson's success, but his approach, that was predicted to carry over from Crusaders when he began his tenure after the global competition but, so far, both are still a continuous improvement.
Organizational Strategy
Following private equity firm investors invested capital in All Blacks in recent years, the following communication discussed the "pursuit of worldwide growth" for the brand.
That task has maybe been more difficult by the absence of a crossover star. Their key player and the group of related players remain well-known figures in the sport, but the concentration of talented players has never been spread wider. The captain is the sole All Black to win international honors in the current era, in comparison to 10 in 13 years between 2005 and '07.
Worldwide Reach
Rather, attempts have been implemented to introduce the New Zealand team into new territories.
The opening phase of this European campaign brings the All Blacks not to Dublin but the American city, a revisit to the location where Ireland achieved a landmark success in the match nine years ago.
Following the relaxation of health protocols, the New Zealand team have also
