Will the New Zealand rugby team rediscover their winning form during the fall tour?
Seeking what would be just a fifth tour victory in their storied history, the All Blacks have headed north at an interesting juncture.
Games against the Irish team, Scotland, England and Wales await Scott Robertson's side across the next four weekends but, in addition to the chance to equal the squads of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the record books, the fixtures will be used as a benchmark to assess the progress of the squad under a leader now well established from beginning his tenure.
Present Difficulties
Concerns over a lack of an distinctive approach, ongoing discussions over team picks and exits from the management team have all added to the feeling that the most famous squad in the rugby is now one in a time of change.
Most importantly, it is the decline in outcomes from a historic high watermark set between the World Cups of the last decade that has prompted some to theorize that we have transitioned away of the age of New Zealand dominance.
Past Performance
Prior to their travel for the fall series, it was confirmed that in the coming year, in the lack of the southern hemisphere competition, the All Blacks will face the Springboks in a warm-weather tour dubbed 'a tour like no other'.
Traditionally the rugby's premier teams, there is no question over who has recently got the better of what marketers have labeled 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'.
Over the past seven years, the Springboks have claimed a couple of global tournaments, three southern hemisphere titles and a tour against the northern hemisphere selection to be regarded as the side of their era.
New Zealand have continued to overcome Ireland when it is crucial, beating their next challengers in the global competition of 2019 and '23. They have, meanwhile, been defeated in just a couple of the recent encounters with the English team, have beaten the Welsh side in each game since 1963 and have always been victorious by the Scottish team.
Shifting Balance
But the decline of their standing as the game's gold standard will continue to rankle.
Whereas the All Blacks excelled through the previous decade - securing 87% of their international games, as well as claiming the Webb Ellis on several instances - the global tournament of 2019 can now be viewed as when the competitive landscape changed in the international rugby.
New Zealand overcame the Springboks in their opening match of the tournament in the host nation, but it was the South Africans who were eventually successful in the championship match.
From that point, the New Zealand's success rate has dropped to 71%. The Springboks themselves lost ten of their following games but, from the beginning of last year, have achieved victory at a rate (83%) to match even the previous All Blacks side.
Direct Competition
Over the comparable duration, the Springboks have secured victory in the majority of the recent encounters between the opponents, including success in the latest global tournament decider.
In claiming their current continental championship, the Springboks inflicted a record 43-10 defeat on the New Zealand team courtesy of 36 unanswered second-half points in their home ground, a outcome which has ignited another wave of controversy concerning the development of the team under the coach.
Perhaps most jarring for followers of the New Zealand team will be that, alongside their usual power, South Africa's success has come with an attacking verve more typically linked with their traditional rivals.
Team Identity
During the period when the All Blacks were at the peak of their powers a decade past, they were a clinical transition team capable of destroying competitors from all areas of the field and at any point of the match.
Now, their playing philosophy is more ambiguous as the coach, who has given 19 debuts during his two years in charge, tries to first establish the more prosaic core elements of a competitive squad.
It has recently revealed that the assistant coach overseeing attack, their offensive coordinator, will exit the team after the autumn tour, making him the second member of management team to leave after another coach left last year after just five Tests.
Performance Gap
It was not merely his winning record, but his style, that was expected to carry over from Crusaders when he assumed control after the recent tournament but, as yet, the two aspects continue to be a continuous improvement.
Commercial Considerations
Following investment group Silver Lake invested capital in All Blacks in recent years, the following communication mentioned the "quest of international expansion" for the team.
That goal has possibly been harder by the lack of a crossover star. Their key player and the group of Barrett brothers remain household names in the game, but the distribution of key individuals has expanded significantly. Their leader is the sole All Black to receive global recognition in the past six seasons, in comparison to ten awards in 13 years between 2005 and '07.
Global Expansion
Rather, attempts have been made to transplant the All Blacks into new territories.
The initial stage of this European campaign brings New Zealand not to Dublin but Chicago, a return to the Soldier Field venue where the Irish team secured a first ever victory in the match during past tours.
Following the relaxation of pandemic limitations, the All Blacks have also
