🔗 Share this article

Pursuing what would be just a fifth 'Grand Slam' in their illustrious legacy, the All Blacks have headed north at an interesting juncture.

Matches against Ireland, Scotland, England and the Welsh team await the New Zealand team across the next four weekends but, quite aside from the possibility to join the teams of previous successful tours in the history books, the fixtures will be used as a yardstick to evaluate the development of the team under a head coach now two years on from beginning his tenure.

Present Difficulties

Doubts over a shortage of an distinctive approach, ongoing discussions over player choices and departures from the coaching ticket have all fueled the sense that the most famous squad in the rugby is now one in a period of transition.

Most importantly, it is the decline in outcomes from a past excellence set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has led some to suggest that we have moved out of the era of All Black exceptionalism.

Recent History

Before their travel for the European tour, it was announced that during the following season, in the lack of the Rugby Championship, New Zealand will meet the Springboks in a off-season matches called 'an unprecedented series'.

Traditionally the rugby's premier teams, there is clear agreement over who has recently got the better of what organizers have described 'The Ultimate Contest'.

During the last decade, the Springboks have won a couple of global tournaments, three southern hemisphere titles and a series against the British and Irish Lions to be regarded as the team of their generation.

The All Blacks have continued to overcome the Irish team when it is crucial, overcoming their next challengers in the World Cup quarter finals of the past two tournaments. They have, meanwhile, been defeated in just a pair of the last fixtures with the English team, have beaten Wales in all matches since the sixties and have remained unbeaten by the Scottish team.

Changing Dynamics

But the diminishment of their standing as the game's gold standard will persist as an irritation.

Although the New Zealand team excelled through the previous decade - winning 87% of their international games, as well as lifting the World Cup on several instances - the global tournament of the previous competition can now be seen as when the competitive landscape changed in the global game.

The All Blacks beat the Springboks in their first game of the tournament in the host nation, but it was the Boks' who were finally victorious in the final.

Since then, the New Zealand's victory ratio has dropped to seventy-one percent. The Springboks themselves lost ten of their following games but, since the start of last year, have achieved victory at a frequency (83%) to rival even the former Kiwi champions.

Direct Competition

Over the equivalent timeframe, the Springboks have won five of the recent encounters between the sides, including success in the latest global tournament decider.

During their pursuit of their latest southern hemisphere crown, Rassie Erasmus' side administered a historic loss on the New Zealand team through dominant performance in Wellington, a result which has triggered another round of discussion regarding the development of the squad under the coach.

Possibly most troubling for supporters of the All Blacks will be that, allied to their characteristic physicality, South Africa's achievement has come with an offensive flair more typically linked with their opposition team.

Playing Philosophy

At the time that the All Blacks were at the zenith of their capabilities in previous eras, they were a clinical transition team able of shredding opponents from all areas of the pitch and at any moment of the match.

Today, their playing philosophy is less defined as Robertson, who has awarded 19 debuts during his recent tenure in charge, tries to first establish the basic foundations of a competitive squad.

It has recently revealed that the supporting manager overseeing offense, their offensive coordinator, will depart his position after the autumn tour, becoming the next individual of management team to leave after Leon MacDonald departed last year after just five Tests.

Team Development

It was not only his winning record, but his style, that was predicted to carry over from his former team when he began his tenure after the 2023 World Cup but, so far, the two aspects continue to be a ongoing development.

Business Factors

Following investment group the company bought a stake in New Zealand rugby in the past, the subsequent announcement mentioned the "search of international expansion" for the organization.

That objective has possibly been harder by the absence of a international celebrity. The current captain and the collection of related players are still household names in the sport, but the spread of stars has never been spread wider. The captain is the sole New Zealand player to win global recognition in the recent years, in contrast to 10 in over a decade between the mid-2000s.

Worldwide Reach

Alternatively, efforts have been made to establish the New Zealand team into new territories.

The first leg of this northern hemisphere series brings the All Blacks not to Dublin but Chicago, a comeback to the location where Ireland obtained a landmark success in the match during past tours.

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