Can the New Zealand rugby team find their winning form during the fall tour?
Aiming for what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their illustrious legacy, the All Blacks have traveled to Europe at an crucial period.
Fixtures against Ireland, the Scottish side, the English squad and Wales await the New Zealand team across the coming month but, beyond the possibility to match the teams of previous successful tours in the annals of rugby, the matches will be used as a yardstick to evaluate the improvement of the team under a leader now two years on from assuming control.
Current Challenges
Doubts over a shortage of an distinctive approach, enduring debates over team picks and leavings from the coaching ticket have all fueled the perception that the best-known side in the game is presently one in a period of transition.
Most pertinently, it is the drop in outcomes from a historic high watermark set between the global tournaments of the last decade that has caused some to theorize that we have evolved beyond of the age of All Black exceptionalism.
Past Performance
Before their departure for the European tour, it was confirmed that next year, in the non-existence of the southern hemisphere competition, New Zealand will face the Springboks in a off-season matches dubbed 'a unique competition'.
In the past the sport's top competitors, there is clear agreement over who has currently outperformed of what organizers have called 'The Premier Rivalry'.
During the last decade, the Springboks have secured a couple of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a series against the home nations team to be viewed as the side of their generation.
The All Blacks have persisted to overcome Ireland when it matters most, defeating this weekend's rivals in the global competition of the past two tournaments. They have, meanwhile, lost just a couple of the recent encounters with the English team, have beaten the Welsh side in every encounter since the sixties and have remained unbeaten by the Scottish team.
Evolving Landscape
But the decline of their standing as the game's gold standard will continue to rankle.
Although the All Blacks reigned supreme through the previous decade - securing 87% of their international games, as well as winning the World Cup on several instances - the global tournament of the previous competition can now be regarded as when the hierarchical structure changed in the world sport.
The All Blacks defeated the Springboks in their first game of the championship in the host nation, but it was the Boks' who were eventually successful in the final.
From that point, the New Zealand's victory ratio has fallen to seventy-one percent. The Springboks themselves lost 10 of their subsequent fixtures but, from the beginning of last year, have won at a rate (83%) to rival even the previous All Blacks side.
Recent Encounters
During the equivalent timeframe, the South African team have secured victory in five of the recent encounters between the sides, including success in the recent championship match.
During their pursuit of their current regional title, Rassie Erasmus' side delivered a historic loss on the New Zealand team through dominant performance in their home ground, a outcome which has triggered another round of controversy regarding the progress of the team under the coach.
Perhaps most troubling for followers of the All Blacks will be that, allied to their usual power, South Africa's success has come with an attacking verve more commonly connected with their traditional rivals.
Team Identity
During the period when the All Blacks were at the peak of their abilities a decade past, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit capable of dismantling rivals from any part of the pitch and at any point of the match.
Today, their playing philosophy is more ambiguous as the coach, who has awarded 19 debuts during his two years in control, tries to primarily create the fundamental building blocks of a successful side.
It has previously announced that the supporting manager in charge of offense, the current coach, will depart his position after the autumn tour, becoming the second member of Robertson's ticket to leave after Leon MacDonald walked away last year after just five Tests.
Expectations vs Reality
It was not only Robertson's success, but his methodology, that was expected to translate from previous club when he took over after the 2023 World Cup but, so far, each are still a continuous improvement.
Organizational Strategy
After private equity firm investors bought a stake in New Zealand rugby in recent years, the ensuing statement spoke of the "search of international expansion" for the team.
That objective has perhaps been more difficult by the shortage of a global icon. The current captain and the collection of family members remain well-known figures in the rugby, but the spread of stars has never been spread wider. Their leader is the only New Zealand player to receive World Player of the Year in the recent years, in comparison to 10 in 13 years between previous generations.
International Growth
Instead, initiatives have been undertaken to introduce the All Blacks into emerging regions.
The first leg of this European campaign brings New Zealand not to the Irish capital but the American city, a revisit to the stadium where the Irish team obtained a historic win in the match during past tours.
Following the relaxation of health protocols, the All Blacks have also
