Can the New Zealand rugby team regain their winning form this autumn?
Aiming for what would be just a fifth tour victory in their storied history, the All Blacks have headed north at an pivotal moment.
Games against the Irish team, the Scottish side, England and the Welsh team await the New Zealand team across the upcoming weeks but, beyond the opportunity to equal the teams of previous successful tours in the history books, the fixtures will be used as a measure to evaluate the development of the team under a head coach now well established from taking up the reins.
Current Challenges
Questions over a shortage of an identifiable style, ongoing discussions over team picks and departures from the coaching ticket have all contributed to the perception that the most famous squad in the sport is presently one in a time of change.
Most pertinently, it is the dip in performances from a past excellence set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has prompted some to theorize that we have evolved beyond of the age of New Zealand dominance.
Team Record
Prior to their departure for the fall series, it was revealed that during the following season, in the absence of the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks will play South Africa in a off-season matches dubbed 'an unprecedented series'.
Historically the game's two strongest sides, there is little doubt over who has currently outperformed of what promoters have labeled 'The Ultimate Contest'.
In recent seasons, the Springboks have secured a pair of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a tour against the home nations team to be regarded as the team of their period.
New Zealand have maintained to defeat the Irish team when it is crucial, defeating their next challengers in the global competition of recent years. They have, meanwhile, been defeated in just two of the last fixtures with the English team, have defeated the Welsh side in each game since over sixty years ago and have never suffered defeat by Scotland.
Evolving Landscape
But the diminishment of their position as the sport's measure of excellence will persist as an irritation.
While the New Zealand team dominated through the last ten years - achieving 87% of their Test matches, as well as lifting the World Cup on two occasions - the global tournament of the previous competition can now be seen as when the balance of power changed in the international rugby.
The All Blacks overcame the Springboks in their first game of the championship in the host nation, but it was the Boks' who were finally victorious in the championship match.
After that event, the All Blacks' winning percentage has declined to seventy-one percent. South Africa themselves were defeated in ten of their subsequent fixtures but, since the start of last year, have won at a rate (eighty-three percent) to match even the former Kiwi champions.
Head-to-Head
During the same period, the 'Boks have secured victory in five of the past fixtures between the sides, comprising success in the recent championship match.
During their pursuit of their current continental championship, Rassie Erasmus' side delivered a significant beating on the New Zealand team courtesy of dominant performance in Wellington, a score which has sparked another round of controversy regarding the development of the side under Robertson.
Maybe most concerning for supporters of the New Zealand team will be that, alongside their usual power, South Africa's success has come with an attacking verve more typically linked with their own side.
Style Evolution
During the period when the All Blacks were at the height of their capabilities 10 years ago, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit equipped of dismantling rivals from any part of the field and at any point of the match.
Today, their offensive approach is less defined as Robertson, who has handed out 19 debuts during his recent tenure in control, tries to initially build the basic foundations of a successful side.
It has previously announced that the supporting manager overseeing attack, the current coach, will exit the team after the autumn tour, becoming the second member of the coaching staff to depart after Leon MacDonald walked away last year after just a handful of games.
Team Development
It was not just his winning record, but his approach, that was predicted to carry over from his former team when he assumed control after the global competition but, as yet, each remain a ongoing development.
Commercial Considerations
Following private equity firm the company acquired shares in New Zealand rugby in the past, the following communication spoke of the "pursuit of international expansion" for the organization.
That goal has perhaps been more difficult by the absence of a crossover star. Ardie Savea and the collection of Barrett brothers are still recognizable personalities in the rugby, but the distribution of talented players has expanded significantly. Savea is the sole All Black to win global recognition in the current era, in opposition to 10 in 13 years between previous generations.
Global Expansion
Instead, attempts have been undertaken to transplant the New Zealand team into emerging regions.
The opening phase of this 'Grand Slam' tour brings New Zealand not to Dublin but Chicago, a revisit to the stadium where the Irish team achieved a landmark success in the match during past tours.
Since the easing of health protocols, the New Zealand team have also
