🔗 Share this article

Aiming for what would be just a fifth 'Grand Slam' in their legendary past, the All Blacks have embarked on their tour at an crucial period.

Matches against Ireland, Scotland, the English squad and Wales await Scott Robertson's side across the next four weekends but, in addition to the opportunity to match the squads of previous successful tours in the record books, the matches will be used as a yardstick to evaluate the development of the squad under a head coach now two years on from beginning his tenure.

Team Issues

Questions over a absence of an identifiable style, enduring debates over selection and leavings from the backroom staff have all contributed to the sense that the most famous squad in the sport is now one in a state of flux.

Most significantly, it is the decline in outcomes from a past excellence set between the global tournaments of 2011 and 2019 that has led some to suggest that we have transitioned away of the era of New Zealand dominance.

Past Performance

Before their departure for the northern hemisphere, it was announced that during the following season, in the lack of the Rugby Championship, New Zealand will play the Springboks in a warm-weather tour termed 'a unique competition'.

Traditionally the sport's top competitors, there is no question over who has currently outperformed of what organizers have labeled 'The Ultimate Contest'.

During the last decade, the South African team have won a pair of World Cups, three Rugby Championships and a tour against the home nations team to be considered as the side of their era.

New Zealand have maintained to beat the Irish team when it matters most, beating Saturday's opponents in the World Cup quarter finals of 2019 and '23. They have, additionally, lost just a pair of the recent encounters with the English team, have overcome the Welsh side in every encounter since the sixties and have never suffered defeat by the Scottish team.

Shifting Balance

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

While the All Blacks reigned supreme through the previous decade - winning eighty-seven percent 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 balance of power changed in the world sport.

New Zealand defeated the Springboks in their first game of the competition in Japan, but it was the South Africans who were finally victorious in the championship match.

From that point, the All Blacks' victory ratio has dropped to seventy-one percent. South Africa themselves lost ten of their subsequent fixtures but, from the beginning of 2023, have won at a percentage (eighty-three percent) to match even the previous All Blacks side.

Recent Encounters

Throughout the comparable duration, the 'Boks have secured victory in five of the past fixtures between the opponents, featuring victory in the recent championship match.

In claiming their current regional title, Rassie Erasmus' side administered a significant beating on the All Blacks thanks to overwhelming display in the capital, a score which has ignited another round of discussion about the direction of the side under their leader.

Possibly most jarring for fans of the All Blacks will be that, allied to their usual power, the Springboks' achievement has come with an attacking verve more usually associated with their traditional rivals.

Team Identity

When the All Blacks were at the peak of their capabilities in previous eras, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit capable of destroying opponents from every section of the pitch and at all times of the game.

Currently, their attacking style is unclear as Robertson, who has awarded multiple new players during his two years in control, tries to first establish the more prosaic foundations of a competitive squad.

It has recently revealed that the supporting manager in charge of attack, Jason Holland, will leave his role after the fall series, becoming the additional person of the coaching staff to depart after Leon MacDonald walked away last year after just five Tests.

Team Development

It was not just his winning record, but his methodology, that was expected to translate from Crusaders when he took over after the global competition but, so far, both continue to be a continuous improvement.

Organizational Strategy

Following private equity firm Silver Lake invested capital in All Blacks in the past, the subsequent announcement mentioned the "quest of new global opportunities" for the brand.

That goal has perhaps been more challenging by the shortage of a crossover star. The current captain and the group of family members remain well-known figures in the game, but the spread of stars has become more diverse. Savea is the only All Black to receive World Player of the Year in the past six seasons, in contrast to ten awards in 13 years between the mid-2000s.

Global Expansion

Rather, attempts have been implemented to transplant the New Zealand team into new territories.

The initial stage of this northern hemisphere series brings the All Blacks not to the Irish capital but the American city, a revisit to the stadium where Ireland obtained a first ever victory in the fixture during past tours.

After the relaxation of pandemic limitations, the All Blacks have additionally