🔗 Share this article

Pursuing what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their illustrious legacy, the New Zealand side have headed north at an crucial period.

Games against Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales await Scott Robertson's side across the next four weekends but, beyond the chance to equal the sides 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 team under a manager now 24 months into from assuming control.

Current Challenges

Concerns over a absence of an clear playing identity, ongoing discussions over player choices and departures from the coaching ticket have all contributed to the feeling that the most famous squad in the game is now one in a state of flux.

Most pertinently, it is the dip in results from a past excellence set between the global tournaments of 2011 and 2019 that has prompted some to speculate that we have moved out of the era of New Zealand dominance.

Past Performance

Ahead of their journey for the European tour, it was announced that next year, in the absence of the Rugby Championship, New Zealand will play South Africa in a warm-weather tour dubbed 'a unique competition'.

In the past the game's two strongest sides, there is little doubt over who has recently got the better of what marketers have described 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'.

In recent seasons, the Springboks have won a pair of global tournaments, three southern hemisphere titles and a competition against the northern hemisphere selection to be regarded as the team of their period.

New Zealand have maintained to overcome Ireland when it matters most, defeating this weekend's rivals in the global competition of 2019 and '23. They have, meanwhile, lost just a couple of the last fixtures with England, have overcome the Welsh side in each game since the sixties and have never suffered defeat by Scotland.

Shifting Balance

But the loss of their status as the sport's measure of excellence will continue to rankle.

Whereas the New Zealand team excelled through the last ten years - securing 87% of their international games, as well as lifting the global trophy on two occasions - the global tournament of the previous competition can now be viewed as when the hierarchical structure shifted in the global game.

The All Blacks beat the Springboks in their opening match of the competition in Japan, but it was the South Africans who were eventually successful in the final.

Since then, the All Blacks' winning percentage has dropped to 71%. The Springboks themselves lost 10 of their next 26 Test matches but, commencing of 2023, have achieved victory at a percentage (eighty-three percent) to rival even the last great New Zealand team.

Direct Competition

During the equivalent timeframe, the South African team have won five of the recent encounters between the sides, featuring success in the 2023 World Cup final.

In claiming their latest southern hemisphere crown, the Springboks delivered a historic loss on the New Zealand team thanks to overwhelming display in Wellington, a outcome which has ignited another wave of controversy regarding the direction of the side under their leader.

Possibly most jarring for fans of the New Zealand team will be that, alongside their usual power, the Springboks' triumph has come with an attacking verve more commonly connected with their traditional rivals.

Playing Philosophy

During the period when the All Blacks were at the height of their capabilities 10 years ago, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit equipped of dismantling competitors from every section of the playing surface and at all times of the game.

Now, their offensive approach is unclear as their leader, who has handed out 19 debuts during his 24 months in charge, tries to primarily create the more prosaic building blocks of a winning team.

It has previously announced that the backroom staff member responsible for attack, Jason Holland, will exit the team after the autumn tour, becoming the additional person of Robertson's ticket to depart after another coach walked away last year after just limited matches.

Expectations vs Reality

It was not only his winning record, but his approach, that was anticipated to transfer from Crusaders when he began his tenure after the global competition but, so far, each remain a work in progress.

Organizational Strategy

Following financial organization investors bought a stake in All Blacks in the past, the ensuing statement spoke of the "pursuit of worldwide growth" for the organization.

That task has maybe been more challenging by the absence of a international celebrity. Ardie Savea and the trio of related players continue to be household names in the rugby, but the distribution of stars has expanded significantly. Savea is the single All Black to win international honors in the past six seasons, in contrast to ten awards in multiple seasons between previous generations.

Worldwide Reach

Rather, initiatives have been undertaken to introduce the All Blacks into emerging regions.

The opening phase of this northern hemisphere series brings New Zealand not to Dublin but Chicago, a revisit to the location where the Irish team secured a first ever victory in the fixture in previous seasons.

Since the easing of pandemic limitations, the All Blacks have additionally