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Aiming for what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their storied history, the All Blacks have headed north at an pivotal moment.

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 chance to equal the teams of previous successful tours in the history books, the matches will be used as a benchmark to evaluate the development of the team under a head coach now well established from taking up the reins.

Current Challenges

Doubts over a shortage of an distinctive approach, continuing controversies over player choices and leavings from the management team have all contributed to the sense that the most recognisable team in the game is currently one in a state of flux.

Most importantly, it is the drop in performances from a historic high watermark set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has caused some to theorize that we have transitioned away of the period of New Zealand dominance.

Past Performance

Ahead of their travel for the European tour, it was revealed that during the following season, in the absence of the Rugby Championship, New Zealand will face the Springboks in a off-season matches called 'a tour like no other'.

Historically the game's two strongest sides, there is clear agreement over who has currently outperformed of what organizers have labeled 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'.

In recent seasons, the South African team have won a two of World Cups, three Rugby Championships and a tour against the British and Irish Lions to be regarded as the side of their generation.

The All Blacks have persisted to overcome the Irish team when it is crucial, defeating this weekend's rivals in the World Cup quarter finals of 2019 and '23. They have, meanwhile, lost just two of the last fixtures with England, have overcome Wales in each game since 1963 and have remained unbeaten by Scotland.

Changing Dynamics

But the loss of their position as the sport's measure of excellence will continue to rankle.

Although the New Zealand team excelled through the previous decade - winning 87% of their Test matches, as well as claiming the World Cup on several instances - the World Cup of the previous competition can now be viewed as when the competitive landscape changed in the global game.

New Zealand overcame South Africa in their opening match of the competition in the host nation, but it was the Boks' who were ultimately triumphant in the championship match.

Since then, the All Blacks' victory ratio has dropped to 71%. The Springboks themselves lost ten of their subsequent fixtures but, since the start of 2023, have won at a rate (83%) to match even the last great New Zealand team.

Recent Encounters

During the equivalent timeframe, the Springboks have secured victory in the majority of the seven meetings between the teams, featuring success in the 2023 World Cup final.

In claiming their most recent regional title, South Africa delivered a significant beating on the New Zealand team through 36 unanswered second-half points in the capital, a result which has triggered another round of debate regarding the direction of the squad under the coach.

Possibly most jarring for supporters of the All Blacks will be that, alongside their usual power, South Africa's achievement has come with an offensive flair more commonly connected with their traditional rivals.

Team Identity

When the All Blacks were at the peak of their powers in previous eras, they were a clinical transition team able of dismantling rivals from all areas of the playing surface and at any point of the game.

Today, their offensive approach is less defined as their leader, who has awarded numerous first caps during his two years in command, tries to primarily create the more prosaic building blocks of a competitive squad.

It has previously announced that the assistant coach overseeing attack, their offensive coordinator, will leave his role after the autumn tour, making him the next individual of Robertson's ticket to depart after Leon MacDonald departed last year after just a handful of games.

Performance Gap

It was not only his winning record, but his methodology, that was predicted to translate from Crusaders when he took over after the recent tournament but, as yet, both are still a continuous improvement.

Organizational Strategy

When private equity firm the company invested capital in All Blacks in the past, the subsequent announcement spoke of the "quest of worldwide growth" for the team.

That objective has possibly been harder by the lack of a international celebrity. The current captain and the group of related players remain well-known figures in the rugby, but the spread of talented players has expanded significantly. Their leader is the only New Zealand player to win global recognition in the current era, in contrast to 10 in 13 years between the mid-2000s.

Worldwide Reach

Instead, attempts have been made to transplant the All Blacks into previously untapped markets.

The first leg of this European campaign brings the All Blacks not to the Irish capital but Chicago, a comeback to the stadium where the Irish team achieved a first ever victory in the contest nine years ago.

After the relaxation of pandemic limitations, the New Zealand team have also