🔗 Share this article Can the All Blacks rediscover their winning form during the fall tour? The New Zealand team have secured victory in 71% of their fixtures during the 2020s Seeking what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their storied history, the All Blacks have traveled to Europe at an pivotal moment. Fixtures against the Irish team, Scotland, the English squad and the Welsh team await Scott Robertson's side across the coming month but, quite aside from the possibility to match the sides of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the annals of rugby, the matches will be used as a yardstick to evaluate the improvement of the side under a head coach now two years on from beginning his tenure. Present Difficulties Questions over a lack of an clear playing identity, enduring debates over selection and departures from the management team have all fueled the sense that the best-known side in the sport is now one in a state of flux. Most importantly, it is the dip in results from a historic high watermark set between the World Cups of the last decade that has led some to theorize that we have moved out of the period of Kiwi superiority. Past Performance Before their journey for the northern hemisphere, it was announced that during the following season, in the non-existence of the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks will meet South Africa in a off-season matches termed 'an unprecedented series'. Traditionally the sport's top competitors, there is no question over who has currently outperformed of what promoters have described 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'. During the last decade, the Springboks have claimed a pair of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a series against the home nations team to be viewed as the team of their generation. The All Blacks have persisted to overcome the Irish team when it matters most, overcoming this weekend's rivals in the global competition of the past two tournaments. They have, additionally, been defeated in just a pair of the last fixtures with England, have overcome the Welsh side in every encounter since 1963 and have never suffered defeat by the Scottish team. Evolving Landscape But the loss of their status as the sport's measure of excellence will persist as an irritation. Whereas the New Zealand team excelled through the 2010s - securing eighty-seven percent of their international games, as well as lifting the Webb Ellis on multiple times - the global tournament of the previous competition can now be regarded as when the hierarchical structure shifted in the global game. New Zealand beat the Springboks in their opening match of the tournament in the host nation, but it was the Boks' who were eventually successful in the championship match. From that point, the All Blacks' success rate has declined to seventy-one percent. The Springboks themselves were defeated in 10 of their subsequent fixtures but, from the beginning of 2023, have achieved victory at a percentage (eighty-three percent) to rival even the previous All Blacks side. The New Zealand team will play four Tests against South Africa in 2026 Recent Encounters Throughout the comparable duration, the South African team have secured victory in the majority of the past fixtures between the sides, including victory in the latest global tournament decider. During their pursuit of their most recent southern hemisphere crown, South Africa inflicted a significant beating on the New Zealand team through dominant performance in their home ground, a score which has ignited another wave of debate concerning the direction of the side under their leader. Maybe most troubling for followers of the New Zealand team will be that, combined with their usual power, South Africa's success has come with an attacking verve more typically linked with their opposition team. Team Identity At the time that the New Zealand team were at the peak of their capabilities in previous eras, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit equipped of shredding opponents from every section of the field and at all times of the game. Now, their attacking style is more ambiguous as Robertson, who has awarded multiple new players during his two years in command, tries to primarily create the more prosaic foundations of a winning team. It has already been confirmed that the backroom staff member in charge of attack, the current coach, will exit the team after the autumn tour, becoming the additional person of management team to exit after another coach departed last year after just limited matches. Team Development It was not merely his winning record, but his style, that was anticipated to transfer from Crusaders when he assumed control after the 2023 World Cup but, to date, both are still a ongoing development. Ardie Savea was named World Rugby Player of the Year in 2023 Commercial Considerations When investment group Silver Lake acquired shares in All Blacks in 2022, the subsequent announcement mentioned the "quest of international expansion" for the brand. That task has maybe been more challenging by the shortage of a crossover star. The current captain and the collection of family members are still household names in the sport, but the spread of stars has never been spread wider. Savea is the sole New Zealand player to earn global recognition in the recent years, in contrast to ten awards in 13 years between 2005 and '07. Global Expansion Rather, attempts have been undertaken to transplant the New Zealand team into emerging regions. The initial stage of this northern hemisphere series brings the All Blacks not to Dublin but the American city, a revisit to the stadium where the Irish team obtained a first ever victory in the match during past tours. After the relaxation of pandemic limitations, the All Blacks have furthermore