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Pursuing what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their illustrious legacy, the All Blacks have embarked on their tour at an crucial period.

Games against the Irish team, the Scottish side, the English squad and Wales await the New Zealand team across the next four weekends but, in addition to the possibility to join the sides of previous successful tours in the record books, the fixtures will be used as a yardstick to measure the development of the side under a manager now 24 months into from assuming control.

Present Difficulties

Questions over a absence of an identifiable style, enduring debates over team picks and exits from the backroom staff have all added to the feeling that the most famous squad in the rugby is presently one in a time of change.

Most pertinently, it is the decline in outcomes from a previous peak set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has led some to speculate that we have evolved beyond of the age of Kiwi superiority.

Past Performance

Prior to their journey for the European tour, it was confirmed that next year, in the absence of the southern hemisphere competition, New Zealand will meet the Springboks in a off-season matches termed 'a unique competition'.

Historically the rugby's premier teams, there is clear agreement over who has currently outperformed of what organizers have labeled 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'.

Over the past seven years, the Springboks have claimed a couple of global tournaments, three southern hemisphere titles and a tour against the British and Irish Lions to be regarded as the team of their period.

New Zealand have persisted to beat the Irish team when it counts most, defeating this weekend's rivals in the global competition of the past two tournaments. They have, meanwhile, lost just two of the past 21 meetings with the English team, have defeated the Welsh side in every encounter since the sixties and have always been victorious by Scotland.

Changing Dynamics

But the loss of their status as the rugby's benchmark will remain frustrating.

Although the All Blacks reigned supreme through the last ten years - winning eighty-seven percent of their international games, as well as lifting the global trophy on two occasions - the World Cup of 2019 can now be viewed as when the competitive landscape changed in the international rugby.

New Zealand overcame the Springboks in their initial fixture of the championship in Japan, but it was the Boks' who were ultimately triumphant in the final.

After that event, the New Zealand's victory ratio has fallen to seventy-one percent. The Springboks themselves were defeated in ten of their following games but, commencing of 2023, have achieved victory at a rate (83%) to compete with even the last great New Zealand team.

Head-to-Head

Over the comparable duration, the South African team have won the majority of the recent encounters between the opponents, including success in the recent championship match.

While securing their latest regional title, South Africa delivered a significant beating on the All Blacks through dominant performance in the capital, a outcome which has triggered another series of controversy concerning the progress of the team under their leader.

Maybe most troubling for supporters of the New Zealand team will be that, combined with their usual power, South Africa's triumph has come with an attacking verve more commonly connected with their opposition team.

Team Identity

When the All Blacks were at the zenith of their capabilities in previous eras, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit capable of destroying competitors from all areas of the pitch and at any moment of the match.

Now, their playing philosophy is unclear as the coach, who has awarded 19 debuts during his recent tenure in command, tries to first establish the basic building blocks of a competitive squad.

It has already been confirmed that the assistant coach overseeing scoring, their offensive coordinator, will depart his position after the upcoming matches, making him the next individual of management team to leave after previous staff member walked away last year after just five Tests.

Performance Gap

It was not just previous achievements, but his approach, that was expected to translate from previous club when he assumed control after the recent tournament but, as yet, the two aspects are still a continuous improvement.

Business Factors

When financial organization investors invested capital in New Zealand rugby in the past, the subsequent announcement discussed the "pursuit of worldwide growth" for the organization.

That objective has maybe been more difficult by the lack of a international celebrity. Ardie Savea and the collection of Barrett brothers continue to be household names in the sport, but the concentration of stars has become more diverse. Their leader is the single All Black to receive World Player of the Year in the current era, in opposition to 10 in multiple seasons between 2005 and '07.

International Growth

Rather, initiatives have been made to establish the All Blacks into emerging regions.

The initial stage of this European campaign brings the All Blacks not to Dublin but Chicago, a comeback to the location where Ireland secured a first ever victory in the fixture in previous seasons.

Following the relaxation of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the All Blacks have additionally