Can the New Zealand rugby team find their winning form this autumn?
Aiming for what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their illustrious legacy, the All Blacks have embarked on their tour at an interesting juncture.
Fixtures against the Irish team, Scotland, England and Wales await the New Zealand team across the coming month but, quite aside from the possibility to equal the teams of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the record books, the matches will be used as a benchmark to measure the improvement of the side under a manager now well established from assuming control.
Current Challenges
Questions over a absence of an clear playing identity, ongoing discussions over selection and exits from the coaching ticket have all contributed to the perception that the most recognisable team in the rugby is currently one in a period of transition.
Most importantly, 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 period of All Black exceptionalism.
Past Performance
Before their journey for the fall series, it was announced that during the following season, in the lack of the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks will face the Springboks in a off-season matches called 'an unprecedented series'.
Traditionally the sport's top competitors, there is no question over who has lately dominated of what organizers have described 'The Premier Rivalry'.
Over the past seven years, the South African team have won a couple of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a series against the northern hemisphere selection to be considered as the side of their generation.
New Zealand have maintained to beat the Irish team when it counts most, beating their next challengers in the tournament knockout stages of 2019 and '23. They have, additionally, lost just two of the past 21 meetings with the English team, have defeated the Welsh side in every encounter since the sixties and have never suffered defeat by the Scottish team.
Evolving Landscape
But the loss of their standing as the sport's measure of excellence will continue to rankle.
While the New Zealand team reigned supreme through the 2010s - securing 87% of their fixtures, as well as claiming the Webb Ellis on several instances - the World Cup of 2019 can now be viewed as when the balance of power moved in the international rugby.
The All Blacks beat South Africa in their first game of the tournament in the host nation, but it was the South Africans who were ultimately triumphant in the final.
After that event, the New Zealand's success rate has declined to 71%. The Springboks themselves were defeated in ten of their subsequent fixtures but, commencing of last year, have achieved victory at a frequency (83%) to compete with even the former Kiwi champions.
Direct Competition
During the same period, the South African team have secured victory in the majority of the past fixtures between the sides, featuring success in the recent championship match.
While securing their most recent continental championship, the Springboks inflicted a historic loss on the All Blacks through 36 unanswered second-half points in their home ground, a result which has sparked another wave of discussion concerning the progress of the team under the coach.
Possibly most concerning for fans of the New Zealand team will be that, combined with their characteristic physicality, South Africa's achievement has come with an attacking verve more usually associated with their traditional rivals.
Team Identity
At the time that the All Blacks were at the zenith of their powers a decade past, they were a devastating offensive machine capable of dismantling competitors from any part of the field and at all times of the contest.
Now, their playing philosophy is less defined as Robertson, who has given numerous first caps during his recent tenure in command, tries to initially build the basic foundations of a winning team.
It has recently revealed that the assistant coach overseeing scoring, their offensive coordinator, will exit the team after the upcoming matches, making him the additional person of Robertson's ticket to leave after another coach left last year after just a handful of games.
Expectations vs Reality
It was not just Robertson's success, but his style, that was predicted to translate from his former team when he began his tenure after the recent tournament but, to date, each are still a ongoing development.
Business Factors
Following financial organization the company acquired shares in New Zealand rugby in recent years, the subsequent announcement mentioned the "quest of new global opportunities" for the organization.
That task has perhaps been harder by the lack of a international celebrity. Their key player and the collection of Barrett brothers are still well-known figures in the sport, but the distribution of stars has expanded significantly. The captain is the sole New Zealand player to earn global recognition in the current era, in opposition to 10 in 13 years between previous generations.
International Growth
Instead, attempts have been made to transplant the All Blacks into new territories.
The opening phase of this 'Grand Slam' tour brings New Zealand not to Dublin but Chicago, a comeback to the location where the Irish team obtained a first ever victory in the match nine years ago.
Following the relaxation of pandemic limitations, the All Blacks have additionally
