🔗 Share this article Can the All Blacks regain their spark this autumn? The New Zealand team have won 71% of their matches during the current decade Seeking what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their storied history, the All Blacks have embarked on their tour at an pivotal moment. Matches against the Irish team, Scotland, England and the Welsh team await the All Blacks across the next four weekends but, beyond the possibility to equal the teams of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the history books, the matches will be used as a benchmark to assess the improvement of the team under a leader now two years on from assuming control. Team Issues Questions over a lack of an identifiable style, ongoing discussions over player choices and leavings from the management team have all contributed to the perception that the most famous squad in the game is presently one in a period of transition. Most significantly, it is the dip in performances from a previous peak set between the global tournaments of 2011 and 2019 that has prompted some to suggest that we have moved out of the age of New Zealand dominance. Recent History Before their travel for the fall series, it was announced that during the following season, in the lack of the southern hemisphere competition, New Zealand will face South Africa in a warm-weather tour termed 'a unique competition'. In the past the game's two strongest sides, there is clear agreement over who has recently got the better of what organizers have called 'The Premier Rivalry'. Over the past seven years, the Springboks have won a couple of World Cups, three Rugby Championships and a tour against the home nations team to be regarded as the squad of their period. The All Blacks have maintained to defeat Ireland when it is crucial, beating Saturday's opponents in the tournament knockout stages of recent years. They have, meanwhile, lost just a pair of the past 21 meetings with England, have overcome the Welsh side in all matches since over sixty years ago and have remained unbeaten by the Scottish team. Shifting Balance But the loss of their standing as the sport's measure of excellence will continue to rankle. Whereas the New Zealand team dominated through the last ten years - securing 87% of their international games, as well as claiming the global trophy on multiple times - the global tournament of 2019 can now be viewed as when the competitive landscape moved in the international rugby. The All Blacks defeated the Springboks in their first game of the tournament in Japan, but it was the Boks' who were eventually successful in Yokohama. Since then, the New Zealand's winning percentage has dropped to seventy-one percent. South Africa themselves were defeated in ten of their next 26 Test matches but, from the beginning of 2023, have won at a rate (eighty-three percent) to compete with even the previous All Blacks side. The All Blacks will compete in several games against South Africa in future seasons Recent Encounters During the comparable duration, the Springboks have won the majority of the past fixtures between the opponents, comprising victory in the latest global tournament decider. While securing their most recent continental championship, Rassie Erasmus' side delivered a record 43-10 defeat on the New Zealand team thanks to overwhelming display in their home ground, a result which has triggered another series of debate regarding the direction of the squad under the coach. Possibly most troubling for followers of the All Blacks will be that, alongside their characteristic physicality, the Springboks' triumph has come with an creative approach more usually associated with their own side. Style Evolution During the period when the New Zealand team were at the zenith of their capabilities 10 years ago, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit equipped of dismantling competitors from every section of the field and at any moment of the contest. Currently, their attacking style is more ambiguous as the coach, who has awarded numerous first caps during his two years in command, tries to initially build the basic building blocks of a winning team. It has previously announced that the backroom staff member responsible for attack, the current coach, will depart his position after the autumn tour, becoming the additional person of management team to leave after another coach departed last year after just limited matches. Team Development It was not just Robertson's success, but his methodology, that was expected to translate from his former team when he took over after the global competition but, as yet, both remain a continuous improvement. The team leader was selected as international star in 2023 Commercial Considerations After financial organization Silver Lake bought a stake in New Zealand rugby in the past, the following communication discussed the "pursuit of new global opportunities" for the team. That objective has perhaps been more challenging by the shortage of a international celebrity. Ardie Savea and the collection of Barrett brothers continue to be recognizable personalities in the game, but the spread of stars has expanded significantly. Their leader is the sole New Zealand player to win World Player of the Year in the current era, in opposition to ten awards in 13 years between the mid-2000s. International Growth Alternatively, efforts have been undertaken to introduce the All Blacks into previously untapped markets. The first leg of this northern hemisphere series brings New Zealand not to the Irish capital but Chicago, a return to the location where the Irish team obtained a first ever victory in the fixture in previous seasons. Since the reduction of health protocols, the All Blacks have also