Will the All Blacks find their spark this autumn?

Seeking what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their legendary past, the All Blacks have embarked on their tour at an interesting juncture.

Games against the Irish team, Scotland, the English squad and the Welsh team await the New Zealand team across the coming month but, beyond the opportunity to match the squads of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the annals of rugby, the fixtures will be used as a measure to measure the progress of the team under a head coach now two years on from taking up the reins.

Present Difficulties

Questions over a absence of an distinctive approach, ongoing discussions over selection and exits from the management team have all added to the sense that the most recognisable team in the rugby is now one in a period of transition.

Most significantly, it is the dip in outcomes from a historic high watermark set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has caused some to theorize that we have moved out of the period of All Black exceptionalism.

Past Performance

Ahead of their departure for the northern hemisphere, it was revealed that in the coming year, in the absence of the southern hemisphere competition, New Zealand will play South Africa in a off-season matches termed 'a tour like no other'.

Traditionally the sport's top competitors, there is clear agreement over who has recently got the better of what marketers have labeled 'The Premier Rivalry'.

In recent seasons, the South African team have claimed a couple of World Cups, three Rugby Championships and a tour against the northern hemisphere selection to be considered as the squad of their era.

The All Blacks have continued to defeat the Irish team when it counts most, overcoming this weekend's rivals in the global competition of recent years. They have, additionally, been defeated in just two of the last fixtures with the English team, have overcome Wales in each game since the sixties and have remained unbeaten by the Scottish team.

Evolving Landscape

But the decline of their status as the rugby's benchmark will remain frustrating.

Whereas the All Blacks reigned supreme through the 2010s - achieving 87% of their Test matches, as well as winning the Webb Ellis on several instances - the World Cup of the previous competition can now be seen as when the balance of power shifted in the international rugby.

New Zealand defeated the Springboks in their initial fixture of the tournament in the host nation, but it was the Boks' who were eventually successful in the championship match.

From that point, the All Blacks' victory ratio has fallen to 71%. South Africa themselves were defeated in ten of their subsequent fixtures but, since the start of last year, have won at a percentage (eighty-three percent) to rival even the former Kiwi champions.

Recent Encounters

Over the same period, the South African team have secured victory in five of the seven meetings between the sides, featuring success in the latest global tournament decider.

During their pursuit of their latest southern hemisphere crown, South Africa administered a record 43-10 defeat on the New Zealand team courtesy of overwhelming display in their home ground, a score which has sparked another series of discussion regarding the development of the team under the coach.

Maybe most troubling for supporters of the All Blacks will be that, allied to their usual power, the Springboks' achievement has come with an attacking verve more commonly connected with their traditional rivals.

Team Identity

When the All Blacks were at the zenith of their abilities 10 years ago, they were a clinical transition team equipped of dismantling rivals from every section of the playing surface and at any point of the match.

Now, their attacking style is unclear as the coach, who has given 19 debuts during his 24 months in command, tries to initially build the fundamental core elements of a successful side.

It has previously announced that the backroom staff member responsible for scoring, the current coach, will leave his role after the fall series, becoming the additional person of management team to depart after previous staff member departed last year after just a handful of games.

Performance Gap

It was not only his winning record, but his style, that was anticipated to carry over from previous club when he took over after the recent tournament but, as yet, each are still a work in progress.

Organizational Strategy

After financial organization investors invested capital in New Zealand rugby in recent years, the ensuing statement spoke of the "pursuit of worldwide growth" for the organization.

That objective has possibly been more difficult by the absence of a international celebrity. Their key player and the collection of Barrett brothers remain household names in the rugby, but the distribution of stars has never been spread wider. Savea is the single All Black to win World Player of the Year in the past six seasons, in comparison to ten awards in multiple seasons between the mid-2000s.

Global Expansion

Rather, attempts have been made to introduce the New Zealand team into emerging regions.

The initial stage of this European campaign brings New Zealand not to Dublin but the American city, a comeback to the location where Ireland obtained a historic win in the fixture during past tours.

After the reduction of health protocols, the All Blacks have additionally