Can the New Zealand rugby team find their winning form in the upcoming matches?
Aiming for what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their legendary past, the All Blacks have headed north at an interesting juncture.
Matches against the Irish team, Scotland, the English squad and Wales await the All Blacks across the upcoming weeks but, beyond the chance to equal the teams of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the annals of rugby, the matches will be used as a benchmark to assess the development of the squad under a manager now 24 months into from beginning his tenure.
Current Challenges
Questions over a lack of an clear playing identity, ongoing discussions over selection and exits from the management team have all contributed to the perception that the most famous squad in the game is now one in a time of change.
Most significantly, it is the drop in results from a past excellence set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has prompted some to suggest that we have transitioned away of the era of All Black exceptionalism.
Recent History
Before their travel for the fall series, it was announced that in the coming year, in the lack of the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks will play the Springboks in a off-season matches dubbed 'a tour like no other'.
In the past the sport's top competitors, there is no question over who has lately dominated of what marketers have described 'The Ultimate Contest'.
During the last decade, the Springboks have won a two of global tournaments, three southern hemisphere titles and a competition against the northern hemisphere selection to be considered as the team of their generation.
New Zealand have persisted to overcome Ireland when it is crucial, defeating Saturday's opponents in the World Cup quarter finals of the past two tournaments. They have, meanwhile, lost just two of the last fixtures with England, have overcome the Welsh side in all matches since over sixty years ago and have remained unbeaten by the Scottish team.
Changing Dynamics
But the diminishment of their standing as the rugby's benchmark will remain frustrating.
Although the All Blacks excelled through the previous decade - securing 87% of their fixtures, as well as claiming the World Cup on several instances - the World Cup of 2019 can now be seen as when the balance of power moved 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 ultimately triumphant in the championship match.
Since then, the All Blacks' success rate has dropped to 71%. South Africa themselves were defeated in ten of their next 26 Test matches but, from the beginning of 2023, have won at a rate (eighty-three percent) to match even the previous All Blacks side.
Head-to-Head
During the same period, the South African team have won the majority of the seven meetings between the sides, including victory in the 2023 World Cup final.
While securing their latest southern hemisphere crown, Rassie Erasmus' side administered a historic loss on the New Zealand team courtesy of 36 unanswered second-half points in their home ground, a result which has ignited another series of controversy about the progress of the squad under Robertson.
Possibly most troubling for followers of the All Blacks will be that, alongside their traditional strength, the Springboks' success has come with an attacking verve more commonly connected with their traditional rivals.
Team Identity
During the period when the All Blacks were at the zenith of their powers a decade past, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit equipped of destroying rivals from any part of the pitch and at all times of the contest.
Now, their offensive approach is more ambiguous as Robertson, who has given numerous first caps during his two years in control, tries to primarily create the basic foundations of a winning team.
It has previously announced that the backroom staff member responsible for offense, their offensive coordinator, will leave his role after the upcoming matches, making him the additional person of Robertson's ticket to leave after another coach walked away last year after just limited matches.
Team Development
It was not merely Robertson's success, but his approach, that was anticipated to translate from his former team when he began his tenure after the global competition but, so far, the two aspects remain a ongoing development.
Commercial Considerations
Following private equity firm Silver Lake invested capital in All Blacks in the past, the ensuing statement discussed the "quest of worldwide growth" for the organization.
That goal has possibly been more difficult by the lack of a international celebrity. Ardie Savea and the trio of family members remain household names in the sport, but the spread of talented players has expanded significantly. The captain is the sole All Black to win international honors in the recent years, in comparison to 10 in 13 years between previous generations.
Worldwide Reach
Rather, attempts have been undertaken to establish the All Blacks into previously untapped markets.
The first leg of this European campaign brings New Zealand not to the Irish capital but Chicago, a return to the location where Ireland achieved a historic win in the contest nine years ago.
Since the reduction of health protocols, the New Zealand team have furthermore
