Can the All Blacks regain their magic during the fall tour?
Aiming for what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their legendary past, the New Zealand side have embarked on their tour at an crucial period.
Games against the Irish team, the Scottish side, the English squad and the Welsh team await the All Blacks across the next four weekends but, beyond the chance to match the sides of previous successful tours in the history books, the fixtures will be used as a yardstick to measure the improvement of the team under a head coach now well established from taking up the reins.
Current Challenges
Concerns over a shortage of an distinctive approach, continuing controversies over player choices and exits from the management team have all fueled the feeling that the most recognisable team in the rugby is now one in a period of transition.
Most pertinently, it is the decline in results from a historic high watermark set between the World Cups of the last decade that has caused some to suggest that we have moved out of the age of New Zealand dominance.
Recent History
Prior to their travel for the fall series, it was revealed that in the coming year, in the absence of the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks will play South Africa in a summer series called 'a unique competition'.
Historically the rugby's premier teams, there is little doubt over who has recently got the better of what promoters have labeled 'The Ultimate Contest'.
In recent seasons, the Springboks have claimed a pair of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a competition against the northern hemisphere selection to be considered as the team of their era.
The All Blacks have continued to beat Ireland when it counts most, beating Saturday's opponents in the global competition of 2019 and '23. They have, meanwhile, been defeated in just a pair of the recent encounters with the English team, have defeated the Welsh side in every encounter since over sixty years ago and have remained unbeaten by Scotland.
Shifting Balance
But the loss of their position as the game's gold standard will remain frustrating.
While the All Blacks dominated through the previous decade - achieving eighty-seven percent of their international games, as well as claiming the global trophy on two occasions - the World Cup of the previous competition can now be regarded as when the competitive landscape changed in the global game.
The All Blacks defeated South Africa in their first game of the competition in the host nation, but it was the South Africans who were finally victorious in Yokohama.
After that event, the New Zealand's winning percentage has declined to seventy-one percent. South Africa themselves lost ten of their following games but, since the start of last year, have won at a rate (83%) to match even the previous All Blacks side.
Recent Encounters
Over the same period, the South African team have secured victory in five of the recent encounters between the teams, including success in the latest global tournament decider.
In claiming their most recent regional title, South Africa delivered a record 43-10 defeat on the All Blacks through overwhelming display in the capital, a score 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, combined with their traditional strength, the Springboks' triumph has come with an attacking verve more usually associated with their traditional rivals.
Team Identity
During the period when the New Zealand team were at the zenith of their abilities in previous eras, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit equipped of destroying competitors from every section of the pitch and at any point of the contest.
Now, their attacking style is unclear as their leader, who has awarded numerous first caps during his recent tenure in command, tries to primarily create the more prosaic core elements of a successful side.
It has already been confirmed that the backroom staff member overseeing offense, Jason Holland, will leave his role after the upcoming matches, becoming the second member of the coaching staff to depart after previous staff member departed last year after just five Tests.
Performance Gap
It was not merely his winning record, but his style, that was expected to translate from Crusaders when he began his tenure after the recent tournament but, as yet, both continue to be a continuous improvement.
Commercial Considerations
After financial organization investors invested capital in New Zealand rugby in recent years, the ensuing statement spoke of the "search of international expansion" for the team.
That task has maybe been more challenging by the absence of a international celebrity. Their key player and the trio of related players are still well-known figures in the game, but the spread of talented players has become more diverse. The captain is the single New Zealand player to win international honors in the current era, in contrast to ten awards in multiple seasons between 2005 and '07.
Worldwide Reach
Rather, efforts have been undertaken to establish the New Zealand team into new territories.
The first leg of this northern hemisphere series brings New Zealand not to Dublin but Chicago, a return to the Soldier Field venue where Ireland secured a landmark success in the fixture in previous seasons.
Since the easing of pandemic limitations, the All Blacks have furthermore