🔗 Share this article Will the All Blacks find their spark during the fall tour? The New Zealand team have won 71% of their matches during the 2020s Aiming for what would be just a fifth 'Grand Slam' in their storied history, the All Blacks have embarked on their tour at an interesting juncture. Games against Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales await the All Blacks across the next four weekends but, beyond the opportunity to equal the squads of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the annals of rugby, the games will be used as a benchmark to evaluate the development of the side under a head coach now two years on from assuming control. Team Issues Concerns over a shortage of an distinctive approach, ongoing discussions over player choices and departures from the backroom staff have all contributed to the feeling that the most recognisable team in the rugby is currently one in a state of flux. Most importantly, it is the dip in outcomes from a historic high watermark set between the global tournaments of 2011 and 2019 that has prompted some to suggest that we have transitioned away of the era of All Black exceptionalism. Past Performance Ahead of their travel for the fall series, it was revealed that in the coming year, in the non-existence of the southern hemisphere competition, the All Blacks will meet the Springboks in a summer series termed 'a unique competition'. In the past the game's two strongest sides, there is little doubt over who has currently outperformed of what promoters have labeled 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'. In recent seasons, the Springboks have secured a couple of World Cups, three southern hemisphere titles and a tour against the northern hemisphere selection to be viewed as the side of their era. New Zealand have persisted to beat the Irish team when it is crucial, defeating this weekend's rivals in the tournament knockout stages of recent years. They have, meanwhile, lost just two of the past 21 meetings with England, have overcome Wales in each game since the sixties and have always been victorious by Scotland. Shifting Balance But the loss of their status as the game's gold standard will remain frustrating. Whereas the All Blacks reigned supreme through the last ten years - securing eighty-seven percent of their fixtures, as well as lifting the Webb Ellis on several instances - the global tournament of 2019 can now be viewed as when the balance of power changed in the international rugby. The All Blacks defeated South Africa in their first game of the tournament in the host nation, but it was the Boks' who were ultimately triumphant in the final. From that point, the All Blacks' victory ratio has declined to 71%. The Springboks themselves lost 10 of their next 26 Test matches but, since the start of last year, have won at a rate (83%) to compete with even the last great New Zealand team. The All Blacks will compete in multiple matches against the Springboks in future seasons Direct Competition Throughout the equivalent timeframe, the South African team have secured victory in five of the recent encounters between the sides, featuring success in the 2023 World Cup final. During their pursuit of their current continental championship, Rassie Erasmus' side administered a significant beating on the All Blacks thanks to 36 unanswered second-half points in the capital, a result which has triggered another series of debate concerning the progress of the squad under the coach. Maybe most jarring for followers of the New Zealand team will be that, combined with their usual power, the Springboks' triumph has come with an offensive flair more typically linked with their own side. Playing Philosophy During the period when the New Zealand team were at the peak of their abilities in previous eras, they were a devastating offensive machine able of dismantling competitors from all areas of the playing surface and at all times of the contest. Today, their playing philosophy is more ambiguous as Robertson, who has awarded multiple new players during his recent tenure in control, tries to initially build the more prosaic foundations of a winning team. It has recently revealed that the assistant coach in charge of offense, their offensive coordinator, will leave his role after the autumn tour, making him the next individual of Robertson's ticket to exit after another coach departed last year after just limited matches. Expectations vs Reality It was not only previous achievements, but his style, that was expected to translate from previous club when he began his tenure after the recent tournament but, to date, the two aspects continue to be a ongoing development. Ardie Savea was awarded global player of the year in last year Organizational Strategy Following financial organization Silver Lake invested capital in New Zealand rugby in recent years, the subsequent announcement discussed the "search of worldwide growth" for the brand. That goal has possibly been more challenging by the shortage of a international celebrity. Their key player and the trio of family members remain well-known figures in the game, but the distribution of key individuals has never been spread wider. The captain is the only All Black to earn international honors in the past six seasons, in comparison to 10 in over a decade between 2005 and '07. Worldwide Reach Rather, attempts have been undertaken to establish the New Zealand team into previously untapped markets. The initial stage of this 'Grand Slam' tour brings the All Blacks not to Dublin but Chicago, a return to the stadium where Ireland obtained a historic win in the match during past tours. After the relaxation of pandemic limitations, the All Blacks have also