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Aiming for what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their legendary past, the All Blacks have traveled to Europe at an pivotal moment.

Fixtures against Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales await the All Blacks across the upcoming weeks but, quite aside from the opportunity to match the squads of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the record books, the games will be used as a benchmark to measure the development of the side under a manager now well established from beginning his tenure.

Present Difficulties

Concerns over a absence of an clear playing identity, continuing controversies over selection and departures from the coaching ticket have all fueled the sense that the most famous squad in the sport is now one in a state of flux.

Most significantly, it is the drop in outcomes from a historic high watermark set between the World Cups of the last decade that has prompted some to suggest that we have evolved beyond of the period of New Zealand dominance.

Past Performance

Prior to their travel for the northern hemisphere, it was confirmed that next year, in the absence of the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks will play South Africa in a warm-weather tour dubbed 'a unique competition'.

Traditionally the sport's top competitors, there is no question over who has recently got the better of what promoters have described 'The Ultimate Contest'.

Over the past seven years, the Springboks have won a two of World Cups, three Rugby Championships and a tour against the British and Irish Lions to be viewed as the squad of their generation.

New Zealand have maintained to defeat the Irish team when it is crucial, beating Saturday's opponents in the World Cup quarter finals of the past two tournaments. They have, additionally, lost just a pair of the last fixtures with England, have defeated the Welsh side in all matches since over sixty years ago and have never suffered defeat by Scotland.

Changing Dynamics

But the loss of their standing as the game's gold standard will persist as an irritation.

Whereas the New Zealand team reigned supreme through the 2010s - achieving eighty-seven percent of their international games, as well as winning the global trophy on several instances - the World Cup of 2019 can now be regarded as when the competitive landscape moved in the international rugby.

New Zealand defeated South Africa in their first game of the competition in Japan, but it was the Boks' who were ultimately triumphant in the final.

From that point, the All Blacks' victory ratio has fallen to seventy-one percent. The Springboks themselves lost 10 of their following games but, from the beginning of 2023, have won at a frequency (83%) to rival even the former Kiwi champions.

Head-to-Head

Over the comparable duration, the Springboks have secured victory in the majority of the recent encounters between the sides, including success in the latest global tournament decider.

During their pursuit of their current continental championship, Rassie Erasmus' side administered a historic loss on the All Blacks courtesy of overwhelming display in Wellington, a result which has sparked another series of discussion concerning the progress of the team under their leader.

Possibly most troubling for fans of the New Zealand team will be that, combined with their characteristic physicality, South Africa's triumph has come with an attacking verve more usually associated with their own side.

Style Evolution

At the time that the New Zealand team were at the height of their capabilities a decade past, they were a clinical transition team equipped of shredding opponents from all areas of the playing surface and at all times of the game.

Currently, their playing philosophy is more ambiguous as Robertson, who has awarded 19 debuts during his 24 months in charge, tries to initially build the fundamental building blocks of a competitive squad.

It has already been confirmed that the supporting manager responsible for offense, Jason Holland, will depart his position after the autumn tour, becoming the second member of management team to depart after another coach departed last year after just a handful of games.

Team Development

It was not merely his winning record, but his methodology, that was expected to transfer from previous club when he took over after the global competition but, as yet, the two aspects remain a work in progress.

Business Factors

When financial organization the company invested capital in New Zealand rugby in the past, the following communication spoke of the "search of international expansion" for the organization.

That task has possibly been more difficult by the lack of a global icon. Ardie Savea and the group of Barrett brothers are still household names in the sport, but the distribution of key individuals has never been spread wider. Savea is the only New Zealand player to receive global recognition in the past six seasons, in contrast to 10 in 13 years between the mid-2000s.

Worldwide Reach

Alternatively, efforts have been made to introduce the All Blacks into previously untapped markets.

The opening phase of this northern hemisphere series brings New Zealand not to Dublin but the American city, a comeback to the stadium where Ireland secured a landmark success in the match nine years ago.

Following the relaxation of health protocols, the All Blacks have furthermore