Can the All Blacks find their winning form during the fall tour?
Aiming for what would be just a fifth tour victory in their legendary past, the New Zealand side have headed north at an pivotal moment.
Games against the Irish team, Scotland, England and Wales await the All Blacks across the upcoming weeks but, in addition to the possibility to join the teams of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the annals of rugby, the games will be used as a yardstick to measure the development of the team under a leader now well established from beginning his tenure.
Present Difficulties
Doubts over a shortage of an identifiable style, enduring debates over player choices and departures from the backroom staff have all fueled the feeling that the most recognisable team in the game is presently one in a period of transition.
Most significantly, it is the decline in results from a previous peak set between the global tournaments of the last decade that has prompted some to speculate that we have evolved beyond of the age of All Black exceptionalism.
Team Record
Before their journey for the European tour, it was revealed that in the coming year, in the absence of the Rugby Championship, New Zealand will play South Africa in a summer series dubbed 'an unprecedented series'.
In the past the sport's top competitors, there is clear agreement over who has recently got the better of what organizers have labeled 'The Ultimate Contest'.
In recent seasons, the Springboks have secured a couple of World Cups, three Rugby Championships and a series against the home nations team to be regarded as the squad of their era.
The All Blacks have maintained to beat the Irish team when it counts most, beating Saturday's opponents in the World Cup quarter finals of the past two tournaments. They have, additionally, lost just two of the past 21 meetings with the English team, have defeated the Welsh side in all matches since over sixty years ago and have never suffered defeat by the Scottish team.
Changing Dynamics
But the decline of their position as the sport's measure of excellence will continue to rankle.
Although the New Zealand team excelled through the 2010s - winning 87% of their international games, as well as lifting the global trophy on two occasions - the global tournament of the previous competition can now be viewed as when the hierarchical structure moved in the global game.
The All Blacks defeated South Africa in their opening match of the tournament in Japan, 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 71%. South Africa themselves lost ten of their following games but, commencing of 2023, have won at a frequency (83%) to compete with even the previous All Blacks side.
Head-to-Head
During the equivalent timeframe, the South African team have secured victory in five of the seven meetings between the opponents, featuring triumph in the 2023 World Cup final.
While securing their current southern hemisphere crown, Rassie Erasmus' side inflicted a record 43-10 defeat on the New Zealand team thanks to 36 unanswered second-half points in the capital, a score which has sparked another series of debate concerning the progress of the side under Robertson.
Perhaps most jarring for fans of the New Zealand team will be that, allied to their characteristic physicality, South Africa's success has come with an attacking verve more usually associated with their opposition team.
Team Identity
When the New Zealand team were at the zenith of their powers a decade past, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit able of shredding rivals from any part of the field and at any point of the game.
Now, their attacking style is unclear as Robertson, who has handed out 19 debuts during his two years in control, tries to primarily create the more prosaic foundations of a winning team.
It has already been confirmed that the supporting manager responsible for attack, the current coach, will depart his position after the autumn tour, making him the second member of the coaching staff to exit after another coach left last year after just five Tests.
Performance Gap
It was not merely Robertson's success, but his methodology, that was anticipated to transfer from Crusaders when he assumed control after the recent tournament but, so far, both continue to be a continuous improvement.
Commercial Considerations
When financial organization Silver Lake bought a stake in New Zealand rugby in recent years, the following communication mentioned the "pursuit of new global opportunities" for the organization.
That task has possibly been more difficult by the shortage of a global icon. Ardie Savea and the group of family members are still well-known figures in the sport, but the distribution of talented players has expanded significantly. Savea is the only All Black to win World Player of the Year in the current era, in comparison to 10 in over a decade between the mid-2000s.
International Growth
Alternatively, initiatives have been implemented to introduce the New Zealand team into emerging regions.
The opening phase of this 'Grand Slam' tour brings New Zealand not to the Irish capital but Chicago, a comeback to the stadium where Ireland secured a historic win in the fixture during past tours.
Since the easing of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the New Zealand team have furthermore