🔗 Share this article

Seeking what would be just a fifth tour victory in their legendary past, the All Blacks have traveled to Europe at an crucial period.

Games against Ireland, the Scottish side, the English squad and Wales await the All Blacks across the upcoming weeks but, quite aside from the chance to join the teams of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the history books, the matches will be used as a benchmark to measure the development of the team under a head coach now well established from taking up the reins.

Current Challenges

Doubts over a absence of an distinctive approach, continuing controversies over selection and exits from the management team have all fueled the sense that the most recognisable team in the game is now one in a time of change.

Most pertinently, it is the dip in results from a previous peak set between the global tournaments of the last decade that has caused some to theorize that we have evolved beyond of the period of New Zealand dominance.

Past Performance

Ahead of their journey for the northern hemisphere, it was announced that during the following season, in the absence of the southern hemisphere competition, New Zealand will meet South Africa in a summer series termed 'an unprecedented series'.

Historically the rugby's premier teams, there is little doubt over who has recently got the better of what promoters have called 'The Premier Rivalry'.

Over the past seven years, the Springboks have secured a couple of global tournaments, three southern hemisphere titles and a series against the home nations team to be regarded as the squad of their generation.

The All Blacks have continued to overcome the Irish team when it is crucial, defeating this weekend's rivals in the global competition of 2019 and '23. They have, meanwhile, been defeated in just a pair of the past 21 meetings with England, have overcome Wales in each game since the sixties and have never suffered defeat by Scotland.

Shifting Balance

But the decline of their status as the rugby's benchmark will remain frustrating.

Whereas the New Zealand team reigned supreme through the previous decade - securing 87% of their fixtures, as well as winning the Webb Ellis on multiple times - the World Cup of the previous competition can now be viewed as when the balance of power changed in the global game.

The All Blacks beat the Springboks in their initial fixture of the championship in the host nation, but it was the South Africans who were eventually successful in Yokohama.

After that event, the All Blacks' success rate has declined to seventy-one percent. The Springboks themselves lost ten of their next 26 Test matches but, since the start of last year, have won at a rate (eighty-three percent) to match even the former Kiwi champions.

Recent Encounters

Throughout the same period, the South African team have secured victory in the majority of the seven meetings between the opponents, comprising success in the recent championship match.

While securing their most recent regional title, Rassie Erasmus' side administered a significant beating on the All Blacks through dominant performance in their home ground, a result which has triggered another round of debate about the progress of the side under their leader.

Possibly most jarring for followers of the New Zealand team will be that, allied to their traditional strength, South Africa's achievement has come with an creative approach more usually associated with their opposition team.

Team Identity

At the time that the New Zealand team were at the zenith of their powers in previous eras, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit capable of dismantling opponents from all areas of the playing surface and at any moment of the game.

Currently, their attacking style is less defined as the coach, who has awarded 19 debuts during his recent tenure in charge, tries to first establish the more prosaic building blocks of a winning team.

It has recently revealed that the assistant coach in charge of scoring, their offensive coordinator, will leave his role after the fall series, making him the next individual of Robertson's ticket to exit after another coach left last year after just a handful of games.

Team Development

It was not only previous achievements, but his style, that was predicted to transfer from Crusaders when he took over after the recent tournament but, as yet, each are still a continuous improvement.

Organizational Strategy

When financial organization Silver Lake bought a stake in New Zealand rugby in 2022, the subsequent announcement mentioned the "pursuit of international expansion" for the team.

That task has perhaps been harder by the shortage of a crossover star. Their key player and the trio of Barrett brothers remain well-known figures in the game, but the distribution of stars has become more diverse. Savea is the single New Zealand player to earn World Player of the Year in the current era, in contrast to ten awards in 13 years between 2005 and '07.

Worldwide Reach

Rather, efforts have been made to establish the All Blacks into new territories.

The initial stage of this 'Grand Slam' tour brings New Zealand not to the Irish capital but Chicago, a revisit to the Soldier Field venue where Ireland obtained a historic win in the fixture nine years ago.

Following the easing of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the All Blacks have also