🔗 Share this article Will the All Blacks rediscover their spark this autumn? The All Blacks have secured victory in 71% of their fixtures during the 2020s Aiming for what would be just a fifth 'Grand Slam' in their storied history, the All Blacks have traveled to Europe at an crucial period. Games against the Irish team, Scotland, England and Wales await the All Blacks across the next four weekends but, beyond the possibility to match the sides of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the record books, the fixtures will be used as a yardstick to assess the progress of the team under a head coach now 24 months into from assuming control. Team Issues Concerns over a absence of an distinctive approach, continuing controversies over player choices and exits from the backroom staff have all fueled the feeling that the best-known side in the rugby is presently one in a time of change. Most pertinently, it is the drop in outcomes from a previous peak set between the global tournaments of the last decade that has led some to speculate that we have moved out of the age of All Black exceptionalism. Team Record Before their departure for the fall series, it was announced that in the coming year, in the lack of the southern hemisphere competition, the All Blacks will play South Africa in a warm-weather tour called 'an unprecedented series'. In the past the rugby's premier teams, there is clear agreement over who has lately dominated of what marketers have called 'The Ultimate Contest'. In recent seasons, the South African team have won a pair of global tournaments, three southern hemisphere titles and a competition against the British and Irish Lions to be considered as the squad of their period. New Zealand have continued to beat the Irish team when it is crucial, beating this weekend's rivals in the tournament knockout stages of 2019 and '23. They have, meanwhile, been defeated in just two of the last fixtures with England, have beaten Wales in every encounter since the sixties and have always been victorious by Scotland. Evolving Landscape But the diminishment of their status as the sport's measure of excellence will persist as an irritation. Whereas the New Zealand team dominated through the 2010s - winning eighty-seven percent of their Test matches, as well as claiming the World Cup on two occasions - the World Cup of 2019 can now be seen as when the competitive landscape shifted in the global game. The All Blacks beat South Africa in their opening match of the competition in Japan, but it was the South Africans who were finally victorious in the championship match. From that point, the All Blacks' winning percentage has dropped to seventy-one percent. The Springboks themselves lost ten of their next 26 Test matches but, commencing of 2023, have achieved victory at a percentage (83%) to rival even the previous All Blacks side. The New Zealand team will compete in four Tests against South Africa in the coming years Head-to-Head During the equivalent timeframe, the Springboks have won the majority of the past fixtures between the sides, including success in the recent championship match. In claiming their latest continental championship, the Springboks delivered a significant beating on the All Blacks thanks to dominant performance in Wellington, a outcome which has ignited another round of debate concerning the progress of the team under the coach. Possibly most troubling for fans of the New Zealand team will be that, alongside their traditional strength, the Springboks' triumph has come with an offensive flair more typically linked with their traditional rivals. Playing Philosophy When the New Zealand team were at the height of their powers 10 years ago, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit able of destroying rivals from every section of the pitch and at any moment of the match. Today, their offensive approach is more ambiguous as the coach, who has given numerous first caps during his recent tenure in control, tries to first establish the fundamental building blocks of a winning team. It has previously announced that the backroom staff member in charge of scoring, Jason Holland, will depart his position after the upcoming matches, making him the second member of the coaching staff to depart after another coach walked away last year after just five Tests. Performance Gap It was not only previous achievements, but his approach, that was anticipated to carry over from previous club when he began his tenure after the global competition but, to date, both remain a continuous improvement. Ardie Savea was selected as global player of the year in 2023 Organizational Strategy After private equity firm investors acquired shares in All Blacks in 2022, the following communication mentioned the "search of international expansion" for the organization. That objective has perhaps been more difficult by the absence of a global icon. Ardie Savea and the group of family members remain well-known figures in the rugby, but the distribution of talented players has become more diverse. Their leader is the sole New Zealand player to receive global recognition in the past six seasons, in opposition to ten awards in multiple seasons between previous generations. Global Expansion Alternatively, efforts have been undertaken to establish the All Blacks into emerging regions. The initial stage of this European campaign brings New Zealand not to the Irish capital but Chicago, a comeback to the stadium where the Irish team obtained a historic win in the match nine years ago. Following the easing of health protocols, the All Blacks have additionally