Ireland vs New Zealand: Can the All Blacks rediscover their spark this autumn?

Before they departed for the Northern Hemisphere, it was confirmed that next year, in the absence of the Rugby Championship, New Zealand would face South Africa in a summer series dubbed “a tour like no other”.

Historically the game’s two strongest teams, there’s no doubt as to who has recently got the better of what marketers have dubbed “Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry”.

Over the past seven years, the Springboks have won two World Cups, three Rugby Championships and a series against the British and Irish Lions to be considered the team of their era.

New Zealand continued to beat Ireland when it mattered most, beating their opponents on Saturday in the quarter-finals of the 2019 and 23 World Cups. Meanwhile, they have lost just two of their last 21 meetings with England, have beaten Wales in every encounter since 1963 and have never been beaten by Scotland.

But losing their status as the game’s gold standard would still be worrying.

While the All Blacks dominated the 2000s – winning 87% of their Test matches during the decade, as well as lifting the Webb Ellis Championship on two occasions – the 2019 World Cup can now be viewed as a shifting event in the balance of power in the global game.

New Zealand beat South Africa in their opening match of the tournament in Japan, but it was the Boks who ultimately prevailed in Yokohama.

Since then, the All Blacks’ winning percentage has dropped to 71%. South Africa themselves lost 10 of their next 26 Test matches, but since the start of 2023, they have won at a rate (83%) to rival even the last great New Zealand side.