🔗 Share this article Can the All Blacks find their winning form this autumn? The All Blacks have won 71% of their games during the current decade Seeking what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their illustrious legacy, the New Zealand side have embarked on their tour at an pivotal moment. Fixtures against the Irish team, the Scottish side, the English squad and the Welsh team await Scott Robertson's side across the upcoming weeks but, in addition to the chance to equal the squads of previous successful tours in the annals of rugby, the fixtures will be used as a benchmark to measure the progress of the squad under a manager now well established from beginning his tenure. Team Issues Concerns over a lack of an distinctive approach, ongoing discussions over selection and exits from the management team have all contributed to the sense that the most recognisable team in the game is now one in a state of flux. Most pertinently, it is the drop in outcomes from a past excellence set between the global tournaments of the last decade that has prompted some to theorize that we have transitioned away of the period of All Black exceptionalism. Team Record Before their journey for the European tour, it was revealed that next year, in the absence of the southern hemisphere competition, the All Blacks will face South Africa in a off-season matches termed 'a unique competition'. Historically the rugby's premier teams, there is clear agreement over who has currently outperformed of what organizers have described 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'. In recent seasons, the Springboks have claimed a pair of global tournaments, three southern hemisphere titles and a series against the northern hemisphere selection to be considered as the squad of their era. The All Blacks have persisted to beat Ireland when it counts most, defeating Saturday's opponents in the World Cup quarter finals of recent years. They have, meanwhile, lost just a pair of the recent encounters with the English team, have beaten the Welsh side in all matches since the sixties and have never suffered defeat by Scotland. Evolving Landscape But the diminishment of their standing as the sport's measure of excellence will remain frustrating. Although the New Zealand team excelled through the previous decade - securing 87% of their Test matches, as well as claiming the Webb Ellis on multiple times - the World Cup of 2019 can now be viewed as when the balance of power moved in the world sport. New Zealand beat the Springboks in their first game of the tournament in the host nation, but it was the Boks' who were eventually successful in the championship match. After that event, the New Zealand's winning percentage has declined to 71%. South Africa themselves were defeated in 10 of their following games but, commencing of last year, have won at a frequency (eighty-three percent) to match even the former Kiwi champions. The New Zealand team will play several games against South Africa in 2026 Recent Encounters During the same period, the 'Boks have secured victory in the majority of the past fixtures between the opponents, comprising victory in the 2023 World Cup final. While securing their most recent continental championship, Rassie Erasmus' side administered a historic loss on the New Zealand team thanks to overwhelming display in their home ground, a outcome which has triggered another series of discussion about the direction of the side under the coach. Maybe most troubling for followers of the All Blacks will be that, alongside their usual power, the Springboks' success has come with an creative approach more usually associated with their own side. Team Identity At the time that the All Blacks were at the peak of their capabilities 10 years ago, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit equipped of dismantling opponents from every section of the pitch and at any moment of the contest. Currently, their playing philosophy is less defined as their leader, who has awarded multiple new players during his recent tenure in control, tries to primarily create the basic foundations of a competitive squad. It has recently revealed that the supporting manager in charge of attack, their offensive coordinator, will exit the team after the autumn tour, becoming the next individual of management team to leave after previous staff member left last year after just five Tests. Team Development It was not only previous achievements, but his methodology, that was expected to transfer from his former team when he assumed control after the 2023 World Cup but, as yet, both continue to be a work in progress. The team leader was named World Rugby Player of the Year in the previous season Commercial Considerations When financial organization investors invested capital in New Zealand rugby in 2022, the subsequent announcement discussed the "search of international expansion" for the brand. That task has maybe been more challenging by the shortage of a international celebrity. Ardie Savea and the trio of related players continue to be well-known figures in the game, but the distribution of talented players has never been spread wider. The captain is the only All Black to earn international honors in the current era, in opposition to ten awards in multiple seasons between previous generations. Worldwide Reach Instead, efforts have been undertaken to transplant the New Zealand team into previously untapped markets. The first leg of this 'Grand Slam' tour brings New Zealand not to the Irish capital but Chicago, a comeback to the stadium where Ireland secured a historic win in the contest in previous seasons. Following the reduction of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the New Zealand team have also