Can the New Zealand rugby team rediscover their spark during the fall tour?
Seeking what would be just a fifth tour victory in their illustrious legacy, the New Zealand side have embarked on their tour at an crucial period.
Games against the Irish team, the Scottish side, England and Wales await the All Blacks across the upcoming weeks but, in addition to the chance to join the squads of previous successful tours in the record books, the games will be used as a benchmark to evaluate the improvement of the team under a head coach now two years on from taking up the reins.
Team Issues
Doubts over a absence of an identifiable style, ongoing discussions over selection and exits from the backroom staff have all contributed to the feeling that the best-known side in the sport is currently one in a period of transition.
Most significantly, it is the dip in results from a previous peak set between the global tournaments of 2011 and 2019 that has led some to suggest that we have evolved beyond of the period of All Black exceptionalism.
Recent History
Before their travel for the fall series, it was revealed that in the coming year, in the non-existence of the southern hemisphere competition, New Zealand will face the Springboks in a summer series called 'a unique competition'.
In the past the rugby's premier teams, there is no question over who has recently got the better of what marketers have called 'The Premier Rivalry'.
Over the past seven years, the Springboks have won a couple of World Cups, three southern hemisphere titles and a competition against the home nations team to be viewed as the squad of their generation.
New Zealand have persisted to defeat the Irish team when it counts most, defeating this weekend's rivals in the tournament knockout stages of the past two tournaments. They have, meanwhile, lost just a pair of the recent encounters with England, have defeated Wales in each game since 1963 and have remained unbeaten by the Scottish team.
Evolving Landscape
But the loss of their standing as the rugby's benchmark will remain frustrating.
Although the All Blacks dominated through the previous decade - achieving 87% of their international games, as well as claiming the Webb Ellis on multiple times - the World Cup of 2019 can now be regarded as when the hierarchical structure shifted in the international rugby.
New Zealand beat South Africa in their first game of the tournament in Japan, but it was the Boks' who were finally victorious in the final.
After that event, the All Blacks' success rate has dropped to 71%. The Springboks themselves were defeated in ten of their following games but, since the start of last year, have achieved victory at a frequency (eighty-three percent) to match even the previous All Blacks side.
Direct Competition
Over the same period, the Springboks have won five of the seven meetings between the sides, featuring success in the recent championship match.
During their pursuit of their latest continental championship, South Africa delivered a significant beating on the All Blacks courtesy of 36 unanswered second-half points in their home ground, a score which has triggered another round of discussion about the progress of the squad under Robertson.
Possibly most concerning for followers of the All Blacks will be that, allied to their traditional strength, the Springboks' achievement has come with an attacking verve more usually associated with their own side.
Playing Philosophy
When the All Blacks were at the height of their abilities a decade past, they were a clinical transition team capable of destroying competitors from all areas of the field and at any point of the match.
Today, their offensive approach is unclear as Robertson, who has given multiple new players during his recent tenure in charge, tries to initially build the fundamental foundations of a competitive squad.
It has already been confirmed that the assistant coach in charge of scoring, the current coach, will leave his role after the fall series, making him the next individual of the coaching staff to leave after previous staff member walked away last year after just five Tests.
Performance Gap
It was not only his winning record, but his style, that was predicted to translate from Crusaders when he assumed control after the 2023 World Cup but, so far, the two aspects continue to be a work in progress.
Organizational Strategy
Following private equity firm Silver Lake invested capital in New Zealand rugby in 2022, the subsequent announcement spoke of the "search of new global opportunities" for the organization.
That objective has possibly been more challenging by the absence of a crossover star. The current captain and the trio of Barrett brothers are still household names in the rugby, but the distribution of key individuals has expanded significantly. Their leader is the sole All Black to earn World Player of the Year in the past six seasons, in opposition to ten awards in multiple seasons between previous generations.
International Growth
Instead, initiatives have been implemented to establish the All Blacks into emerging regions.
The initial stage of this 'Grand Slam' tour brings the All Blacks not to Dublin but the American city, a comeback to the location where Ireland secured a landmark success in the match nine years ago.
Following the easing of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the New Zealand team have additionally
