🔗 Share this article Can the All Blacks rediscover their winning form during the fall tour? The All Blacks have secured victory in 71% of their matches during the 2020s Seeking what would be just a fifth tour victory in their legendary past, the New Zealand side have headed north at an pivotal moment. Matches against the Irish team, Scotland, the English squad and the Welsh team await Scott Robertson's side across the coming month but, beyond the chance to equal the teams of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the annals of rugby, the fixtures will be used as a measure to measure the development of the team under a leader now well established from assuming control. Present Difficulties Questions over a absence of an identifiable style, continuing controversies over player choices and leavings from the coaching ticket have all fueled the feeling that the most recognisable team in the sport is currently one in a time of change. Most pertinently, it is the decline in results from a previous peak 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. Recent History Ahead of their travel for the fall series, it was announced that next year, in the lack of the southern hemisphere competition, the All Blacks will meet South Africa 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 called 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'. During the last decade, the South African team have won a two of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a tour against the British and Irish Lions to be viewed as the side of their period. The All Blacks have maintained to defeat the Irish team when it matters most, defeating their next challengers in the World Cup quarter finals of 2019 and '23. They have, meanwhile, lost just two of the last fixtures with the English team, have overcome the Welsh side in every encounter since the sixties and have remained unbeaten by the Scottish team. Shifting Balance But the loss of their position as the game's gold standard will continue to rankle. Whereas the All Blacks dominated through the previous decade - achieving eighty-seven percent of their fixtures, as well as claiming the global trophy on two occasions - the global tournament of 2019 can now be seen as when the hierarchical structure moved in the global game. The All Blacks beat the Springboks in their initial fixture of the tournament in the host nation, but it was the South Africans who were finally victorious in the championship match. Since then, the All Blacks' winning percentage has dropped to 71%. South Africa themselves were defeated in 10 of their following games but, from the beginning of last year, have won at a percentage (eighty-three percent) to rival even the former Kiwi champions. The All Blacks will compete in several games against the Springboks in future seasons Direct Competition Throughout the comparable duration, the South African team have secured victory in five of the recent encounters between the sides, featuring victory in the latest global tournament decider. While securing their latest continental championship, the Springboks inflicted a historic loss on the All Blacks courtesy of 36 unanswered second-half points in Wellington, a result which has ignited another round of controversy about the progress of the team under their leader. Possibly most troubling for supporters of the New Zealand team will be that, alongside their traditional strength, South Africa's triumph has come with an creative approach more typically linked with their opposition team. Playing Philosophy At the time that the New Zealand team were at the peak of their capabilities in previous eras, they were a clinical transition team capable of destroying rivals from all areas of the pitch and at all times of the game. Now, their attacking style is less defined as Robertson, who has given numerous first caps during his two years in command, tries to first establish the more prosaic core elements of a competitive squad. It has previously announced that the assistant coach in charge of offense, Jason Holland, will depart his position after the autumn tour, becoming the next individual of Robertson's ticket to exit after Leon MacDonald left last year after just a handful of games. Performance Gap It was not just his winning record, but his approach, that was anticipated to transfer from Crusaders when he took over after the recent tournament but, so far, each are still a work in progress. The star player was named global player of the year in last year Business Factors After private equity firm the company bought a stake in New Zealand rugby in 2022, the following communication discussed the "pursuit of new global opportunities" for the organization. That task has maybe been harder by the shortage of a global icon. Ardie Savea and the group of family members remain well-known figures in the sport, but the distribution of key individuals has become more diverse. Their leader is the sole New Zealand player to earn World Player of the Year in the past six seasons, in contrast to 10 in multiple seasons between the mid-2000s. Global Expansion Instead, initiatives have been implemented to establish the All Blacks into emerging regions. The first leg of this 'Grand Slam' tour brings the All Blacks not to the Irish capital but the American city, a revisit to the location where the Irish team obtained a historic win in the fixture in previous seasons. Following the reduction of health protocols, the All Blacks have furthermore