Can the All Blacks find their winning form this autumn?
Seeking what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their storied history, the New Zealand side have embarked on their tour at an pivotal moment.
Fixtures against the Irish team, the Scottish side, the English squad and Wales await the All Blacks across the upcoming weeks but, quite aside from the possibility to match the teams of previous successful tours in the record books, the games will be used as a yardstick to assess the development of the side under a head coach now 24 months into from taking up the reins.
Team Issues
Concerns over a shortage of an identifiable style, enduring debates over player choices and exits from the coaching ticket have all contributed to the sense that the best-known side in the rugby is now one in a period of transition.
Most significantly, it is the decline in outcomes from a historic high watermark set between the global tournaments of 2011 and 2019 that has caused some to speculate that we have transitioned away of the period of New Zealand dominance.
Recent History
Prior to their travel for the northern hemisphere, it was announced that in the coming year, in the non-existence of the southern hemisphere competition, New Zealand will play South Africa in a summer series termed 'a tour like no other'.
Historically the game's two strongest sides, there is little doubt over who has recently got the better of what promoters have called 'The Ultimate Contest'.
During the last decade, the South African team have secured a couple of global tournaments, three southern hemisphere titles and a series against the northern hemisphere selection to be regarded as the side of their period.
New Zealand have continued to overcome Ireland when it counts most, beating this weekend's rivals in the tournament knockout stages of recent years. They have, meanwhile, been defeated in just two of the recent encounters with England, have beaten the Welsh side in every encounter since over sixty years ago and have always been victorious by the Scottish team.
Evolving Landscape
But the decline of their position as the rugby's benchmark will continue to rankle.
Although the New Zealand team reigned supreme through the 2010s - winning 87% 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 hierarchical structure moved in the international rugby.
The All Blacks overcame South Africa in their first game of the championship in the host nation, but it was the South Africans who were eventually successful in the championship match.
Since then, the All Blacks' success rate has fallen to seventy-one percent. The Springboks themselves lost 10 of their subsequent fixtures but, commencing of 2023, have won at a rate (eighty-three percent) to rival even the previous All Blacks side.
Recent Encounters
Over the equivalent timeframe, the 'Boks have won five of the recent encounters between the sides, comprising success in the 2023 World Cup final.
During their pursuit of their current southern hemisphere crown, South Africa administered a significant beating on the All Blacks through 36 unanswered second-half points in the capital, a result which has triggered another wave of debate about the progress of the squad under their leader.
Possibly most jarring for supporters of the New Zealand team will be that, alongside their usual power, the Springboks' success has come with an attacking verve more commonly connected with their own side.
Playing Philosophy
When the New Zealand team were at the zenith of their capabilities in previous eras, they were a clinical transition team able of destroying rivals from all areas of the pitch and at any point of the match.
Now, their attacking style is unclear as Robertson, who has handed out 19 debuts during his 24 months in command, tries to initially build the more prosaic foundations of a winning team.
It has recently revealed that the assistant coach overseeing scoring, the current coach, will leave his role after the autumn tour, making him the next individual of the coaching staff to depart after another coach departed last year after just a handful of games.
Team Development
It was not merely Robertson's success, but his style, that was expected to transfer from his former team when he began his tenure after the 2023 World Cup but, to date, both are still a work in progress.
Organizational Strategy
Following financial organization investors acquired shares in All Blacks in recent years, the ensuing statement mentioned the "search of new global opportunities" for the organization.
That task has possibly been harder by the lack of a crossover star. Ardie Savea and the group of Barrett brothers are still well-known figures in the game, but the concentration of stars has expanded significantly. The captain is the only All Black to receive World Player of the Year in the current era, in comparison to 10 in over a decade between the mid-2000s.
Global Expansion
Alternatively, efforts have been made to introduce the New Zealand team into new territories.
The initial stage of this European campaign brings New Zealand not to Dublin but Chicago, a return to the location where Ireland achieved a landmark success in the match in previous seasons.
After the relaxation of health protocols, the All Blacks have also
