Can the All Blacks regain their winning form in the upcoming matches?
Aiming for 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, Scotland, the English squad and Wales await Scott Robertson's side across the upcoming weeks but, quite aside from the chance to equal the teams of previous successful tours in the record books, the fixtures will be used as a benchmark to evaluate the improvement of the team under a leader now 24 months into from beginning his tenure.
Present Difficulties
Concerns over a absence of an clear playing identity, ongoing discussions over player choices and exits from the coaching ticket have all added to the perception that the most recognisable team in the sport is presently one in a time of change.
Most importantly, it is the dip in outcomes from a past excellence set between the global tournaments of 2011 and 2019 that has led some to speculate that we have evolved beyond of the age of Kiwi superiority.
Past Performance
Prior to their travel for the European tour, it was confirmed that during the following season, in the absence of the Rugby Championship, New Zealand will meet South Africa in a off-season matches termed 'an unprecedented series'.
Historically the game's two strongest sides, there is no question over who has recently got the better of what organizers have labeled 'The Premier Rivalry'.
Over the past seven years, the Springboks have secured a two of World Cups, three Rugby Championships and a series against the home nations team to be considered as the side of their era.
The All Blacks have maintained to defeat the Irish team when it matters most, defeating this weekend's rivals in the tournament knockout stages of the past two tournaments. They have, additionally, been defeated in just two of the last fixtures with England, have overcome the Welsh side in each game since the sixties and have always been victorious by Scotland.
Changing Dynamics
But the diminishment of their position as the rugby's benchmark will persist as an irritation.
Whereas the New Zealand team reigned supreme through the 2010s - securing 87% of their fixtures, as well as claiming the global trophy on multiple times - the World Cup of the previous competition can now be regarded as when the competitive landscape shifted in the international rugby.
New Zealand defeated the Springboks in their initial fixture of the championship in the host nation, but it was the Boks' who were ultimately triumphant in the championship match.
After that event, the New Zealand's success rate has declined to 71%. South Africa themselves were defeated in 10 of their next 26 Test matches but, from the beginning of 2023, have won at a frequency (eighty-three percent) to match even the last great New Zealand team.
Head-to-Head
Throughout the same period, the Springboks have won five of the recent encounters between the opponents, comprising triumph in the 2023 World Cup final.
During their pursuit of their current continental championship, the Springboks inflicted a record 43-10 defeat on the All Blacks through 36 unanswered second-half points in the capital, a score which has ignited another series of debate about the direction of the team under the coach.
Maybe most jarring for fans of the New Zealand team will be that, combined with their characteristic physicality, South Africa's triumph has come with an creative approach more typically linked with their opposition team.
Style Evolution
When the All Blacks were at the zenith of their powers 10 years ago, they were a devastating offensive machine able of destroying opponents from every section of the field and at any point of the contest.
Today, their attacking style is more ambiguous as their leader, who has handed out multiple new players during his 24 months in charge, tries to first establish the basic foundations of a winning team.
It has recently revealed that the assistant coach overseeing scoring, Jason Holland, will leave his role after the autumn tour, becoming the next individual of the coaching staff to exit after Leon MacDonald left last year after just limited matches.
Team Development
It was not just his winning record, but his style, that was expected to translate from his former team when he began his tenure after the 2023 World Cup but, to date, the two aspects remain a work in progress.
Business Factors
When financial organization Silver Lake invested capital in All Blacks in 2022, the following communication mentioned the "quest of international expansion" for the team.
That objective has maybe been more challenging by the lack of a global icon. Ardie Savea and the trio of related players remain well-known figures in the rugby, but the spread of stars has become more diverse. Savea is the single All Black to receive global recognition in the past six seasons, in comparison to ten awards in over a decade between 2005 and '07.
Worldwide Reach
Instead, attempts have been made to establish the New Zealand team into new territories.
The initial stage of this northern hemisphere series brings New Zealand not to Dublin but the American city, a return to the Soldier Field venue where the Irish team secured a first ever victory in the fixture nine years ago.
Following the reduction of pandemic limitations, the New Zealand team have additionally
