🔗 Share this article Can the New Zealand rugby team rediscover their winning form this autumn? The New Zealand team have secured victory in seventy-one percent of their games during the 2020s Aiming for what would be just a fifth tour victory in their illustrious legacy, the All Blacks have headed north at an interesting juncture. Matches against Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales await Scott Robertson's side across the upcoming weeks but, in addition to the opportunity to match the teams of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the record books, the games will be used as a measure to evaluate the improvement of the squad under a leader now two years on from assuming control. Team Issues Doubts over a absence of an identifiable style, continuing controversies over selection and exits from the management team have all fueled the feeling that the most famous squad in the game is now one in a period of transition. Most pertinently, it is the drop in performances from a previous peak set between the global tournaments of the last decade that has prompted some to theorize that we have transitioned away of the age of All Black exceptionalism. Past Performance Before their journey for the European tour, it was revealed that next year, in the non-existence of the Rugby Championship, New Zealand will meet South Africa in a warm-weather tour termed 'a tour like no other'. Historically 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 South African team have secured a two of World Cups, three southern hemisphere titles and a series against the home nations team to be viewed as the team of their generation. New Zealand have persisted to defeat Ireland when it matters most, overcoming this weekend's rivals in the World Cup quarter finals of recent years. They have, additionally, lost just a pair of the recent encounters with England, have defeated the Welsh side in all matches since 1963 and have always been victorious by the Scottish team. Changing Dynamics But the diminishment of their position as the sport's measure of excellence will persist as an irritation. Whereas the New Zealand team excelled through the last ten years - securing 87% of their fixtures, as well as claiming the Webb Ellis on two occasions - the World Cup of 2019 can now be viewed as when the hierarchical structure shifted in the international rugby. New Zealand defeated the Springboks in their opening match of the championship in Japan, but it was the South Africans who were eventually successful in the championship match. Since then, the All Blacks' victory ratio has fallen to seventy-one percent. South Africa themselves lost ten of their subsequent fixtures but, from the beginning of 2023, have achieved victory at a frequency (eighty-three percent) to rival even the former Kiwi champions. The New Zealand team will play several games against South Africa in the coming years Recent Encounters Throughout the equivalent timeframe, the South African team have secured victory in five of the recent encounters between the sides, including success in the latest global tournament decider. During their pursuit of their current regional title, South Africa delivered a significant beating on the All Blacks courtesy of overwhelming display in their home ground, a outcome which has ignited another round of debate regarding the direction of the side under the coach. Possibly most jarring for followers of the All Blacks will be that, alongside their characteristic physicality, South Africa's achievement has come with an creative approach more commonly connected with their opposition team. Style Evolution At the time that the All Blacks were at the peak of their capabilities in previous eras, they were a devastating offensive machine capable of dismantling competitors from every section of the playing surface and at all times of the match. Currently, their offensive approach is more ambiguous as their leader, who has awarded numerous first caps during his two years in charge, tries to initially build the basic building blocks of a winning team. It has recently revealed that the assistant coach in charge of scoring, their offensive coordinator, will exit the team after the fall series, becoming the second member of management team to depart after previous staff member left last year after just five Tests. Team Development It was not only Robertson's success, but his methodology, that was expected to carry over from Crusaders when he began his tenure after the recent tournament but, to date, both are still a work in progress. The team leader was selected as global player of the year in last year Organizational Strategy After financial organization investors acquired shares in New Zealand rugby in the past, the subsequent announcement spoke of the "pursuit of new global opportunities" for the team. That objective has maybe been harder by the lack of a global icon. Their key player and the group of related players continue to be recognizable personalities in the rugby, but the distribution of stars has become more diverse. Their leader is the sole New Zealand player to receive global recognition in the past six seasons, in contrast to 10 in 13 years between 2005 and '07. Global Expansion Instead, initiatives have been made to transplant the All Blacks into previously untapped markets. The initial stage of this northern hemisphere series brings New Zealand not to the Irish capital but the American city, a comeback to the stadium where Ireland achieved a historic win in the fixture during past tours. Following the reduction of health protocols, the New Zealand team have also