Will the All Blacks regain their winning form in the upcoming matches?
Seeking what would be just a fifth tour victory in their illustrious legacy, the All Blacks have headed north at an crucial period.
Games against the Irish team, Scotland, England and the Welsh team await the All Blacks across the coming month but, in addition to the possibility to match the teams of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the annals of rugby, the games will be used as a measure to measure the development of the squad under a head coach now two years on from taking up the reins.
Current Challenges
Concerns over a shortage of an distinctive approach, continuing controversies over selection and exits from the management team have all added to the sense that the most recognisable team in the sport is presently one in a time of change.
Most significantly, it is the drop in outcomes from a historic high watermark set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has caused some to suggest that we have moved out of the period of New Zealand dominance.
Team Record
Prior to their journey for the European tour, it was announced that in the coming year, in the lack of the southern hemisphere competition, New Zealand will face the Springboks in a warm-weather tour termed 'an unprecedented series'.
Traditionally the sport's top competitors, there is no question over who has recently got the better of what marketers have described 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'.
Over the past seven years, the Springboks have secured a two of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a series against the northern hemisphere selection to be considered as the squad of their generation.
The All Blacks have persisted to defeat the Irish team when it counts most, defeating this weekend's rivals in the tournament knockout stages of 2019 and '23. They have, additionally, lost just a couple of the recent encounters with England, have defeated Wales in each game since over sixty years ago and have always been victorious by Scotland.
Shifting Balance
But the decline of their position as the rugby's benchmark will remain frustrating.
While the All Blacks reigned supreme through the last ten years - securing eighty-seven percent of their international games, as well as lifting the World Cup on multiple times - the World Cup of the previous competition can now be seen as when the hierarchical structure shifted in the global game.
New Zealand defeated the Springboks in their initial fixture of the competition in the host nation, but it was the South Africans who were eventually successful in the final.
Since then, the New Zealand's success rate has declined to 71%. The Springboks themselves were defeated in ten of their subsequent fixtures but, from the beginning of last year, have achieved victory at a rate (eighty-three percent) to match even the last great New Zealand team.
Head-to-Head
Over the comparable duration, the South African team have secured victory in the majority of the recent encounters between the opponents, featuring success in the 2023 World Cup final.
During their pursuit of their latest southern hemisphere crown, Rassie Erasmus' side delivered a record 43-10 defeat on the All Blacks courtesy of overwhelming display in Wellington, a score which has sparked another round of controversy regarding the progress of the team under their leader.
Perhaps most troubling for supporters of the All Blacks will be that, alongside their characteristic physicality, the Springboks' success has come with an offensive flair more typically linked with their own side.
Playing Philosophy
At the time that the New Zealand team were at the zenith of their powers 10 years ago, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit equipped of destroying rivals from all areas of the pitch and at all times of the contest.
Today, their attacking style is unclear as their leader, who has awarded numerous first caps during his 24 months in command, tries to initially build the more prosaic building blocks of a successful side.
It has already been confirmed that the assistant coach responsible for attack, Jason Holland, will exit the team after the upcoming matches, becoming the next individual of Robertson's ticket to exit after another coach departed last year after just a handful of games.
Team Development
It was not only his winning record, but his methodology, that was anticipated to translate from his former team when he took over after the global competition but, as yet, the two aspects are still a work in progress.
Organizational Strategy
When investment group the company invested capital in New Zealand rugby in the past, the following communication mentioned the "search of international expansion" for the organization.
That objective has perhaps been more challenging by the shortage of a global icon. Their key player and the collection of Barrett brothers continue to be household names in the sport, but the distribution of talented players has become more diverse. The captain is the only New Zealand player to earn World Player of the Year in the current era, in contrast to 10 in over a decade between 2005 and '07.
Worldwide Reach
Alternatively, attempts have been undertaken to transplant the All Blacks into previously untapped markets.
The initial stage of this 'Grand Slam' tour brings New Zealand not to the Irish capital but Chicago, a revisit to the location where the Irish team secured a first ever victory in the fixture in previous seasons.
Following the easing of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the New Zealand team have furthermore
