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

Fixtures against Ireland, Scotland, England and the Welsh team await Scott Robertson's side across the next four weekends but, in addition to the possibility to join the teams of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the record books, the fixtures will be used as a benchmark to assess the development of the squad under a head coach now 24 months into from taking up the reins.

Current Challenges

Doubts over a absence of an clear playing identity, continuing controversies over player choices and leavings from the coaching ticket have all fueled the perception that the best-known side in the sport is currently one in a time of change.

Most importantly, it is the dip in performances from a historic high watermark set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has led some to theorize that we have evolved beyond of the era of New Zealand dominance.

Past Performance

Before their departure for the fall series, it was announced that during the following season, in the lack of the Rugby Championship, New Zealand will meet the Springboks in a warm-weather tour termed 'an unprecedented series'.

Historically the sport's top competitors, there is clear agreement over who has lately dominated of what organizers have labeled 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'.

Over the past seven years, the Springboks have won a couple of World Cups, three Rugby Championships and a competition against the British and Irish Lions to be considered as the team of their generation.

The All Blacks have maintained to overcome Ireland when it counts most, beating Saturday's opponents in the global competition of recent years. They have, meanwhile, been defeated in just a couple of the recent encounters with England, have overcome Wales in every encounter since the sixties and have never suffered defeat by the Scottish team.

Changing Dynamics

But the decline of their position as the sport's measure of excellence will persist as an irritation.

While the New Zealand team excelled through the 2010s - securing eighty-seven percent of their Test matches, as well as lifting the global trophy on several instances - the World Cup of 2019 can now be viewed as when the hierarchical structure changed in the international rugby.

New Zealand beat South Africa in their opening match of the tournament in the host nation, but it was the South Africans who were eventually successful in the final.

Since then, the New Zealand's winning percentage has fallen to seventy-one percent. The Springboks themselves were defeated in ten of their subsequent fixtures but, from the beginning of 2023, have achieved victory at a percentage (eighty-three percent) to rival even the former Kiwi champions.

Direct Competition

Over the comparable duration, the Springboks have won five of the recent encounters between the sides, including victory in the 2023 World Cup final.

While securing their latest regional title, the Springboks delivered a historic loss on the All Blacks courtesy of 36 unanswered second-half points in the capital, a result which has sparked another series of discussion about the development of the side under the coach.

Possibly most troubling for fans of the All Blacks will be that, allied to their characteristic physicality, South Africa's triumph has come with an creative approach more commonly connected with their traditional rivals.

Playing Philosophy

At the time that the New Zealand team were at the zenith of their abilities a decade past, they were a devastating offensive machine equipped of shredding rivals from any part of the playing surface and at any moment of the contest.

Currently, their attacking style is more ambiguous as their leader, who has handed out numerous first caps during his 24 months in control, tries to first establish the fundamental building blocks of a successful side.

It has recently revealed that the supporting manager responsible for offense, the current coach, will depart his position after the fall series, making him the second member of management team to depart after another coach departed last year after just five Tests.

Performance Gap

It was not merely Robertson's success, but his style, that was predicted to translate from previous club when he assumed control after the recent tournament but, as yet, both remain a continuous improvement.

Commercial Considerations

Following investment group investors acquired shares in New Zealand rugby in 2022, the following communication mentioned the "quest of worldwide growth" for the team.

That task has possibly been harder by the absence of a international celebrity. Their key player and the trio of family members continue to be well-known figures in the rugby, but the concentration of stars has become more diverse. Savea is the single All Black to receive World Player of the Year in the past six seasons, in opposition to ten awards in over a decade between 2005 and '07.

International Growth

Alternatively, efforts have been made to establish the New Zealand team into previously untapped markets.

The opening phase of this European campaign brings New Zealand not to the Irish capital but the American city, a revisit to the stadium where Ireland secured a landmark success in the contest during past tours.

Since the easing of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the New Zealand team have also