Will the All Blacks regain their winning form during the fall tour?
Seeking what would be just a fifth 'Grand Slam' in their illustrious legacy, the All Blacks have traveled to Europe at an crucial period.
Matches against Ireland, the Scottish side, the English squad and Wales await the New Zealand team across the upcoming weeks but, quite aside from the possibility to join the sides of previous successful tours in the record books, the games will be used as a measure to assess the progress of the team under a head coach now two years on from beginning his tenure.
Current Challenges
Concerns over a shortage of an identifiable style, enduring debates over player choices and leavings from the backroom staff have all contributed to the feeling that the most famous squad in the game is now one in a period of transition.
Most importantly, it is the drop in results from a previous peak set between the global tournaments of 2011 and 2019 that has prompted some to theorize that we have transitioned away of the age of New Zealand dominance.
Team Record
Before their journey for the European tour, it was announced that in the coming year, in the lack of the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks will face the Springboks in a warm-weather tour termed 'a tour like no other'.
In the past the sport's top competitors, there is little doubt over who has recently got the better of what organizers have described 'The Ultimate Contest'.
During the last decade, the Springboks have claimed a two of global tournaments, three southern hemisphere titles and a series against the northern hemisphere selection to be viewed as the side of their era.
The All Blacks have maintained to beat Ireland when it is crucial, overcoming their next challengers in the World Cup quarter finals of 2019 and '23. They have, additionally, lost just a couple of the recent encounters with the English team, have beaten the Welsh side in every encounter since the sixties and have remained unbeaten by the Scottish team.
Evolving Landscape
But the loss of their status as the rugby's benchmark will continue to rankle.
While the New Zealand team dominated through the last ten years - achieving eighty-seven percent of their fixtures, as well as winning the World Cup on several instances - the global tournament of 2019 can now be viewed as when the hierarchical structure changed in the world sport.
The All Blacks overcame the Springboks in their initial fixture of the competition in the host nation, but it was the South Africans who were finally victorious in the final.
From that point, the New Zealand's winning percentage has fallen to seventy-one percent. The Springboks themselves lost 10 of their subsequent fixtures but, since the start of last year, have achieved victory at a percentage (eighty-three percent) to match even the former Kiwi champions.
Direct Competition
Over the equivalent timeframe, the South African team have won five of the recent encounters between the teams, including victory in the recent championship match.
In claiming their latest southern hemisphere crown, Rassie Erasmus' side delivered a significant beating on the New Zealand team thanks to overwhelming display in their home ground, a score which has ignited another wave of debate regarding the direction of the side under the coach.
Maybe most troubling for fans of the New Zealand team will be that, alongside their traditional strength, the Springboks' achievement has come with an creative approach more commonly connected with their own side.
Style Evolution
At the time that the All Blacks were at the height of their capabilities in previous eras, they were a devastating offensive machine able of dismantling competitors from any part of the field and at all times of the game.
Now, their playing philosophy is less defined as Robertson, who has awarded multiple new players during his recent tenure in charge, tries to first establish the more prosaic foundations of a competitive squad.
It has recently revealed that the assistant coach overseeing scoring, the current coach, will depart his position after the upcoming matches, becoming the second member of the coaching staff to leave after another coach departed last year after just a handful of games.
Team Development
It was not just Robertson's success, but his approach, that was anticipated to carry over from his former team when he assumed control after the 2023 World Cup but, to date, the two aspects remain a ongoing development.
Commercial Considerations
Following investment group Silver Lake acquired shares in All Blacks in the past, the following communication discussed the "pursuit of worldwide growth" for the brand.
That task has perhaps been more challenging by the shortage of a international celebrity. The current captain and the collection of family members continue to be well-known figures in the sport, but the distribution of key individuals has never been spread wider. Their leader is the single All Black to receive World Player of the Year in the past six seasons, in comparison to ten awards in over a decade between previous generations.
Worldwide Reach
Instead, initiatives have been implemented to introduce the All Blacks into previously untapped markets.
The first leg of this 'Grand Slam' tour brings the All Blacks not to Dublin but Chicago, a comeback to the Soldier Field venue where the Irish team obtained a first ever victory in the match nine years ago.
After the relaxation of health protocols, the New Zealand team have additionally