🔗 Share this article

Aiming for what would be just a fifth tour victory in their storied history, the New Zealand side have embarked on their tour at an pivotal moment.

Matches against the Irish team, Scotland, England and the Welsh team await the All Blacks across the upcoming weeks but, beyond the opportunity to equal the squads of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the history books, the matches will be used as a benchmark to assess the improvement of the side under a leader now two years on from taking up the reins.

Present Difficulties

Questions over a absence of an identifiable style, ongoing discussions over team picks and departures from the management team have all added to the feeling that the best-known side in the rugby is now one in a period of transition.

Most pertinently, it is the drop in results from a previous peak set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has prompted some to suggest that we have evolved beyond of the period of New Zealand dominance.

Recent History

Prior to their departure for the fall series, it was revealed that next year, in the lack of the southern hemisphere competition, New Zealand will meet South Africa in a warm-weather tour termed 'an unprecedented series'.

Historically the sport's top competitors, there is little doubt over who has recently got the better of what organizers have described 'The Premier Rivalry'.

Over the past seven years, the Springboks have won a pair of World Cups, three southern hemisphere titles and a competition against the home nations team to be viewed as the squad of their era.

The All Blacks have maintained to beat the Irish team when it matters most, overcoming Saturday's opponents in the World Cup quarter finals of recent years. They have, at the same time, lost just two of the last fixtures with England, have overcome the Welsh side in each game since 1963 and have always been victorious by the Scottish team.

Changing Dynamics

But the decline of their position as the sport's measure of excellence will remain frustrating.

While the New Zealand team reigned supreme through the last ten years - winning 87% of their fixtures, as well as lifting the Webb Ellis on several instances - the global tournament of the previous competition can now be seen as when the balance of power changed in the global game.

New Zealand beat the Springboks in their initial fixture of the championship in Japan, but it was the Boks' who were ultimately triumphant in the final.

Since then, the All Blacks' winning percentage has declined to 71%. South Africa themselves lost 10 of their following games but, from the beginning of 2023, have won at a percentage (eighty-three percent) to compete with even the former Kiwi champions.

Head-to-Head

Throughout the same period, the 'Boks have secured victory in the majority of the past fixtures between the sides, including victory in the latest global tournament decider.

In claiming their latest regional title, the Springboks delivered a historic loss on the All Blacks through dominant performance in the capital, a result which has triggered another wave of discussion about the development of the team under the coach.

Perhaps most troubling for fans of the All Blacks will be that, combined with their traditional strength, the Springboks' achievement has come with an creative approach more typically linked with their opposition team.

Team Identity

During the period when the New Zealand team were at the peak of their powers 10 years ago, they were a clinical transition team capable of dismantling opponents from every section of the field and at any point of the game.

Today, their playing philosophy is more ambiguous as their leader, who has given numerous first caps during his recent tenure in charge, tries to primarily create the basic building blocks of a competitive squad.

It has recently revealed that the supporting manager responsible for offense, their offensive coordinator, will exit the team after the fall series, making him the second member of management team to exit after previous staff member departed last year after just five Tests.

Expectations vs Reality

It was not just Robertson's success, but his style, that was expected to carry over from previous club when he began his tenure after the recent tournament but, so far, the two aspects remain a work in progress.

Business Factors

Following investment group the company acquired shares in All Blacks in recent years, the ensuing statement discussed the "pursuit of worldwide growth" for the organization.

That goal has maybe been more difficult by the shortage of a international celebrity. Ardie Savea and the collection of family members continue to be well-known figures in the sport, but the distribution of key individuals has become more diverse. The captain is the only New Zealand player to win international honors in the current era, in contrast to ten awards in multiple seasons between the mid-2000s.

Worldwide Reach

Alternatively, attempts have been undertaken to establish the New Zealand team into previously untapped markets.

The first leg of this 'Grand Slam' tour brings New Zealand not to the Irish capital but the American city, a return to the stadium where the Irish team obtained a first ever victory in the fixture in previous seasons.

After the easing of pandemic limitations, the All Blacks have also