Will the New Zealand rugby team regain their winning form during the fall tour?
Pursuing what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their storied history, the New Zealand side have embarked on their tour at an pivotal moment.
Fixtures against the Irish team, the Scottish side, the English squad and the Welsh team await the All Blacks across the upcoming weeks but, quite aside from the possibility to join the teams of previous successful tours in the history books, the fixtures will be used as a measure to measure the progress of the squad under a manager now well established from assuming control.
Team Issues
Questions over a lack of an identifiable style, continuing controversies over team picks and exits from the management team have all added to the sense that the most famous squad in the rugby is currently one in a period of transition.
Most importantly, it is the dip in performances from a past excellence set between the World Cups of the last decade that has caused some to theorize that we have moved out of the era of New Zealand dominance.
Recent History
Before their travel for the European tour, it was confirmed that in the coming year, in the lack of the southern hemisphere competition, the All Blacks will meet the Springboks in a off-season matches termed 'an unprecedented series'.
Historically the sport's top competitors, there is little doubt over who has recently got the better of what organizers have described 'The Premier Rivalry'.
Over the past seven years, the Springboks have claimed a couple of World Cups, three southern hemisphere titles and a competition against the northern hemisphere selection to be viewed as the team of their era.
The All Blacks have continued to overcome the Irish team when it matters most, overcoming their next challengers in the global competition of recent years. They have, at the same time, been defeated in just a pair of the recent encounters with England, have defeated Wales in each game since 1963 and have never suffered defeat by the Scottish team.
Changing Dynamics
But the decline of their status as the rugby's benchmark will remain frustrating.
While the New Zealand team excelled through the previous decade - securing eighty-seven percent of their international games, as well as winning the global trophy on two occasions - the global tournament of the previous competition can now be regarded as when the hierarchical structure moved in the world sport.
The All Blacks overcame 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 New Zealand's success rate has declined to seventy-one percent. South Africa themselves were defeated in 10 of their subsequent fixtures but, since the start of last year, have won at a rate (eighty-three percent) to rival even the former Kiwi champions.
Recent Encounters
Throughout the comparable duration, the Springboks have won the majority of the recent encounters between the teams, featuring success in the recent championship match.
During their pursuit of their current southern hemisphere crown, South Africa delivered a historic loss on the All Blacks thanks to dominant performance in Wellington, a result which has sparked another series of discussion concerning the direction of the squad under their leader.
Possibly most jarring for supporters of the All Blacks will be that, allied to their characteristic physicality, the Springboks' triumph has come with an offensive flair more usually associated with their own side.
Team Identity
When the All Blacks were at the zenith of their capabilities 10 years ago, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit equipped of dismantling competitors from any part of the field and at any moment of the game.
Now, their attacking style is less defined as Robertson, who has handed out multiple new players during his 24 months in charge, tries to primarily create the more prosaic foundations of a winning team.
It has previously announced that the backroom staff member in charge of attack, Jason Holland, will exit the team after the upcoming matches, becoming the second member of the coaching staff to exit after Leon MacDonald departed last year after just five Tests.
Performance Gap
It was not merely his winning record, but his approach, that was predicted to carry over from previous club when he assumed control after the 2023 World Cup but, to date, each remain a work in progress.
Commercial Considerations
When investment group the company acquired shares in New Zealand rugby in 2022, the subsequent announcement discussed the "search of worldwide growth" for the brand.
That goal has perhaps been more challenging by the lack of a global icon. Ardie Savea and the group of Barrett brothers are still household names in the rugby, but the spread of stars has become more diverse. Their leader is the single New Zealand player to win international honors in the recent years, in comparison to ten awards in multiple seasons between 2005 and '07.
Worldwide Reach
Rather, attempts have been undertaken to transplant the New Zealand team into new territories.
The first leg of this European campaign brings the All Blacks not to the Irish capital but the American city, a comeback to the location where the Irish team obtained a first ever victory in the fixture in previous seasons.
After the reduction of health protocols, the New Zealand team have also