Will the All Blacks find their magic during the fall tour?
Pursuing what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their storied history, the New Zealand side have headed north at an crucial period.
Matches against Ireland, the Scottish side, England and Wales await Scott Robertson's side across the coming month but, beyond the possibility to equal the squads of previous successful tours in the record books, the matches will be used as a yardstick to assess the progress of the team under a leader now 24 months into from taking up the reins.
Present Difficulties
Concerns over a lack of an distinctive approach, ongoing discussions over player choices and exits from the coaching ticket have all contributed to the sense that the best-known side in the game is now one in a time of change.
Most significantly, it is the decline in performances from a historic high watermark set between the global tournaments of 2011 and 2019 that has led some to suggest that we have evolved beyond of the age of Kiwi superiority.
Past Performance
Before their journey for the European tour, it was confirmed that in the coming year, in the lack of the southern hemisphere competition, the All Blacks will meet South Africa in a summer series called 'a tour like no other'.
Traditionally the sport's top competitors, there is little doubt over who has currently outperformed of what marketers have called 'The Ultimate Contest'.
Over the past seven years, the South African team have secured a two of global tournaments, three southern hemisphere titles and a series against the British and Irish Lions to be considered as the side of their era.
The All Blacks have persisted to beat the Irish team when it counts most, beating this weekend's rivals in the World Cup quarter finals of 2019 and '23. They have, additionally, lost just two of the last fixtures with England, have beaten the Welsh side in each game since 1963 and have remained unbeaten by Scotland.
Changing Dynamics
But the decline of their position as the sport's measure of excellence will continue to rankle.
Whereas the All Blacks reigned supreme through the previous decade - winning eighty-seven percent of their international games, as well as claiming the World Cup on multiple times - the World Cup of 2019 can now be viewed as when the competitive landscape changed in the world sport.
New Zealand beat the Springboks in their first game of the championship in Japan, but it was the Boks' who were ultimately triumphant in the final.
Since then, the All Blacks' victory ratio has fallen to 71%. South Africa themselves were defeated in 10 of their following games but, from the beginning of 2023, have achieved victory at a frequency (eighty-three percent) to compete with even the former Kiwi champions.
Head-to-Head
Throughout the comparable duration, the South African team have won five of the recent encounters between the teams, comprising success in the 2023 World Cup final.
While securing their latest southern hemisphere crown, Rassie Erasmus' side administered a significant beating on the All Blacks thanks to 36 unanswered second-half points in their home ground, a score which has triggered another wave of discussion about the development of the side under the coach.
Maybe most troubling for fans of the All Blacks will be that, alongside their usual power, South Africa's success has come with an creative approach more typically linked with their opposition team.
Team Identity
At the time that the New Zealand team were at the zenith of their powers a decade past, they were a devastating offensive machine equipped of destroying opponents from all areas of the pitch and at any point of the game.
Today, their offensive approach is more ambiguous as the coach, who has awarded numerous first caps during his 24 months in control, tries to initially build the more prosaic foundations of a competitive squad.
It has previously announced that the assistant coach in charge of attack, their offensive coordinator, will exit the team after the autumn tour, becoming the next individual of the coaching staff to depart after Leon MacDonald left last year after just limited matches.
Team Development
It was not just previous achievements, but his style, that was anticipated to transfer from previous club when he began his tenure after the 2023 World Cup but, as yet, each continue to be a ongoing development.
Commercial Considerations
After private equity firm the company invested capital in New Zealand rugby in recent years, the subsequent announcement mentioned the "quest of international expansion" for the brand.
That task has maybe been more challenging by the shortage of a global icon. Ardie Savea and the group of family members continue to be well-known figures in the sport, but the spread of stars has never been spread wider. The captain is the sole New Zealand player to earn World Player of the Year in the recent years, in contrast to 10 in 13 years between 2005 and '07.
Global Expansion
Instead, initiatives have been made to establish the New Zealand team into previously untapped markets.
The initial stage of this northern hemisphere series brings the All Blacks not to Dublin but the American city, a return to the stadium where Ireland secured a landmark success in the fixture nine years ago.
Since the relaxation of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the All Blacks have also
