Will the New Zealand rugby team regain their winning form in the upcoming matches?
Aiming for what would be just a fifth tour victory in their legendary past, the New Zealand side have embarked on their tour at an interesting juncture.
Games against the Irish team, Scotland, the English squad and the Welsh team await Scott Robertson's side across the coming month but, in addition to the opportunity to match the sides of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the history books, the fixtures will be used as a benchmark to evaluate the progress of the squad under a head coach now 24 months into from beginning his tenure.
Team Issues
Questions over a lack of an distinctive approach, ongoing discussions over player choices and departures from the coaching ticket have all added to the sense that the most famous squad in the game is now one in a period of transition.
Most significantly, it is the decline in performances from a past excellence set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has caused some to suggest that we have moved out of the age of All Black exceptionalism.
Recent History
Prior to their travel for the European tour, it was announced that next year, in the lack of the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks will meet the Springboks in a summer series termed 'an unprecedented series'.
Traditionally the rugby's premier teams, there is clear agreement over who has recently got the better of what marketers have described 'The Premier Rivalry'.
In recent seasons, the South African team have won a two of World Cups, three Rugby Championships and a series against the home nations team to be viewed as the squad of their era.
New Zealand have persisted to defeat Ireland when it counts most, beating Saturday's opponents in the global competition of 2019 and '23. They have, at the same time, lost just two of the recent encounters with the English team, have beaten the Welsh side in all matches since the sixties and have never suffered defeat by Scotland.
Evolving Landscape
But the loss of their status as the game's gold standard will continue to rankle.
While the All Blacks dominated through the previous decade - winning 87% of their fixtures, as well as winning the Webb Ellis on two occasions - the World Cup of 2019 can now be regarded as when the hierarchical structure shifted in the international rugby.
New Zealand beat South Africa in their first game of the competition in Japan, but it was the South Africans who were eventually successful in Yokohama.
Since then, the New Zealand's victory ratio has fallen to seventy-one percent. The Springboks themselves were defeated in ten of their next 26 Test matches but, since the start of last year, have achieved victory at a rate (83%) to rival even the previous All Blacks side.
Direct Competition
Over the equivalent timeframe, the Springboks have secured victory in five of the seven meetings between the opponents, including success in the 2023 World Cup final.
While securing their most recent southern hemisphere crown, Rassie Erasmus' side inflicted a historic loss on the New Zealand team courtesy of 36 unanswered second-half points in Wellington, a score which has sparked another series of controversy concerning the direction of the side under Robertson.
Perhaps most troubling for supporters of the New Zealand team will be that, alongside their traditional strength, the Springboks' achievement has come with an offensive flair more usually associated with their opposition team.
Style Evolution
When the New Zealand team were at the height of their abilities in previous eras, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit equipped of dismantling opponents from every section of the pitch and at any moment of the match.
Currently, their attacking style is more ambiguous as the coach, who has awarded numerous first caps during his two years in control, tries to first establish the basic foundations of a successful side.
It has already been confirmed that the assistant coach in charge of attack, Jason Holland, will exit the team after the upcoming matches, becoming the additional person of Robertson's ticket to exit after another coach departed last year after just five Tests.
Expectations vs Reality
It was not only Robertson's success, but his methodology, that was predicted to transfer from his former team when he took over after the recent tournament but, to date, both remain a work in progress.
Business Factors
Following investment group the company invested capital in New Zealand rugby in recent years, the ensuing statement mentioned the "search of new global opportunities" for the brand.
That goal has possibly been more difficult by the shortage of a international celebrity. Ardie Savea and the collection of family members continue to be well-known figures in the rugby, but the spread of stars has become more diverse. The captain is the single New Zealand player to win World Player of the Year in the current era, in contrast to 10 in over a decade between 2005 and '07.
International Growth
Rather, efforts have been undertaken to establish the New Zealand team into new territories.
The opening phase of this northern hemisphere series brings the All Blacks not to the Irish capital but the American city, a return to the stadium where the Irish team obtained a first ever victory in the contest nine years ago.
After the reduction of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the New Zealand team have additionally
