Can the All Blacks find their magic during the fall tour?
Aiming for what would be just a fifth tour victory in their storied history, the All Blacks have traveled to Europe at an crucial period.
Fixtures against Ireland, the Scottish side, England and the Welsh team await the New Zealand team across the coming month but, beyond the chance to join the squads of previous successful tours in the history books, the games will be used as a benchmark to assess the progress of the side under a head coach now two years on from assuming control.
Current Challenges
Doubts over a lack of an clear playing identity, ongoing discussions over selection and leavings from the backroom staff have all added to the feeling that the most famous squad in the rugby is now one in a period of transition.
Most significantly, it is the dip in outcomes from a past excellence set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has led some to suggest that we have evolved beyond of the period of Kiwi superiority.
Past Performance
Prior to their travel for the European tour, it was announced that during the following season, in the lack of the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks will play South Africa in a off-season matches termed 'an unprecedented series'.
Traditionally the rugby's premier teams, there is no question over who has currently outperformed of what organizers have labeled 'The Ultimate Contest'.
Over the past seven years, the Springboks have claimed a pair of World Cups, three Rugby Championships and a series against the British and Irish Lions to be viewed as the side of their era.
New Zealand have persisted to defeat the Irish team when it matters most, beating Saturday's opponents in the World Cup quarter finals of the past two tournaments. They have, at the same time, lost just a pair of the recent encounters with England, have defeated the Welsh side in each game since 1963 and have always been victorious by the Scottish team.
Shifting Balance
But the loss of their status as the rugby's benchmark will persist as an irritation.
Although the All Blacks reigned supreme through the previous decade - securing 87% of their fixtures, as well as claiming the global trophy on several instances - the World Cup of 2019 can now be regarded as when the competitive landscape shifted in the global game.
The All Blacks defeated the Springboks in their first game of the championship in Japan, but it was the Boks' who were finally victorious in the championship match.
After that event, the All Blacks' victory ratio has dropped to seventy-one percent. South Africa themselves were defeated in 10 of their next 26 Test matches but, since the start of last year, have achieved victory at a percentage (83%) to rival even the former Kiwi champions.
Direct Competition
Over the comparable duration, the South African team have won five of the recent encounters between the sides, including victory in the recent championship match.
In claiming their latest continental championship, the Springboks administered a historic loss on the All Blacks courtesy of dominant performance in Wellington, a outcome which has sparked another series of discussion about the direction of the squad under Robertson.
Perhaps most troubling for fans of the New Zealand team will be that, alongside their usual power, the Springboks' achievement has come with an offensive flair more typically linked with their opposition team.
Team Identity
When the All Blacks were at the peak of their capabilities 10 years ago, they were a clinical transition team able of destroying rivals from all areas of the field and at any moment of the contest.
Today, their playing philosophy is more ambiguous as their leader, who has handed out multiple new players during his two years in control, tries to first establish the basic foundations of a competitive squad.
It has recently revealed that the supporting manager in charge of offense, their offensive coordinator, will exit the team after the fall series, making him the additional person of management team to leave after Leon MacDonald walked away last year after just a handful of games.
Team Development
It was not just previous achievements, but his approach, that was expected to carry over from his former team when he assumed control after the recent tournament but, to date, the two aspects remain a work in progress.
Commercial Considerations
After private equity firm the company invested capital in All Blacks in 2022, the ensuing statement spoke of the "search of worldwide growth" for the organization.
That goal has possibly been more difficult by the lack of a global icon. Their key player and the collection of family members are still recognizable personalities in the rugby, but the spread of stars has become more diverse. Their leader is the sole New Zealand player to receive World Player of the Year in the current era, in opposition to 10 in multiple seasons between 2005 and '07.
Global Expansion
Instead, efforts have been made to establish the All Blacks into emerging regions.
The opening phase of this northern hemisphere series brings the All Blacks not to the Irish capital but the American city, a revisit to the Soldier Field venue where Ireland achieved a first ever victory in the match in previous seasons.
After the reduction of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the All Blacks have furthermore
