Will the All Blacks regain their spark during the fall tour?
Pursuing what would be just a fifth 'Grand Slam' in their storied history, the All Blacks have headed north at an crucial period.
Fixtures against the Irish team, the Scottish side, England and the Welsh team await Scott Robertson's side across the next four weekends but, in addition to the opportunity to join the squads of previous successful tours in the history books, the fixtures will be used as a measure to evaluate the progress of the team under a manager now 24 months into from taking up the reins.
Current Challenges
Questions over a shortage of an clear playing identity, continuing controversies over selection and departures from the management team have all contributed to the perception that the best-known side in the game is now one in a time of change.
Most significantly, it is the dip in performances from a past excellence set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has caused some to suggest that we have transitioned away of the period of All Black exceptionalism.
Team Record
Ahead of their journey for the fall series, it was confirmed that next year, in the lack of the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks will face the Springboks in a summer series dubbed 'a unique competition'.
Traditionally the sport's top competitors, there is no question over who has recently got the better of what marketers have labeled 'The Premier Rivalry'.
Over the past seven years, the South African team have secured a pair of global tournaments, three southern hemisphere titles and a tour against the home nations team to be considered as the squad of their period.
The All Blacks have persisted to defeat the Irish team when it is crucial, overcoming Saturday's opponents in the tournament knockout stages of 2019 and '23. They have, at the same time, lost just a pair of the recent encounters with England, have beaten Wales in every encounter since 1963 and have never suffered defeat by the Scottish team.
Changing Dynamics
But the diminishment of their position as the sport's measure of excellence will remain frustrating.
Whereas the All Blacks excelled through the 2010s - achieving eighty-seven percent of their Test matches, as well as winning the global trophy on multiple times - the World Cup of the previous competition can now be seen as when the competitive landscape shifted in the world sport.
The All Blacks defeated the Springboks in their first game of the championship in the host nation, but it was the South Africans who were finally victorious in the championship match.
After that event, the All Blacks' winning percentage has dropped to seventy-one percent. South Africa themselves were defeated in 10 of their next 26 Test matches but, commencing of 2023, have achieved victory at a frequency (eighty-three percent) to rival even the former Kiwi champions.
Head-to-Head
During the same period, the Springboks have won the majority of the recent encounters between the sides, featuring triumph in the 2023 World Cup final.
In claiming their current regional title, Rassie Erasmus' side inflicted a historic loss on the New Zealand team thanks to dominant performance in Wellington, a score which has sparked another wave of debate regarding the development of the side under Robertson.
Maybe most jarring for followers of the All Blacks will be that, alongside their characteristic physicality, the Springboks' triumph has come with an attacking verve more usually associated with their own side.
Playing Philosophy
At the time that the All Blacks were at the height of their powers 10 years ago, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit equipped of shredding rivals from all areas of the pitch and at any moment of the contest.
Currently, their playing philosophy is more ambiguous as the coach, who has handed out numerous first caps during his two years in charge, tries to initially build the basic core elements of a competitive squad.
It has recently revealed that the backroom staff member responsible for scoring, their offensive coordinator, will leave his role after the fall series, becoming the next individual of the coaching staff to exit after Leon MacDonald walked away last year after just a handful of games.
Performance Gap
It was not only his winning record, but his methodology, that was anticipated to translate from Crusaders when he took over after the 2023 World Cup but, so far, the two aspects continue to be a continuous improvement.
Commercial Considerations
After private equity firm the company bought a stake in All Blacks in recent years, the subsequent announcement discussed the "quest of international expansion" for the brand.
That objective has possibly been more difficult by the shortage of a international celebrity. The current captain and the trio of related players remain recognizable personalities in the game, but the concentration of key individuals has never been spread wider. Their leader is the sole All Black to win World Player of the Year in the current era, in opposition to 10 in over a decade between 2005 and '07.
Global Expansion
Alternatively, initiatives have been made to introduce the All Blacks into emerging regions.
The first leg of this northern hemisphere series brings the All Blacks not to Dublin but Chicago, a comeback to the stadium where Ireland achieved a landmark success in the fixture nine years ago.
Following the relaxation of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the New Zealand team have additionally
