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Aiming for what would be just a fifth tour victory in their illustrious legacy, the New Zealand side have headed north at an interesting juncture.

Fixtures against Ireland, the Scottish side, England and the Welsh team await Scott Robertson's side across the coming month but, beyond the possibility to match the sides of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the record books, the fixtures will be used as a measure to measure the progress of the squad under a head coach now two years on from assuming control.

Team Issues

Questions over a lack of an identifiable style, continuing controversies over player choices and departures from the coaching ticket have all fueled the sense that the best-known side in the game is presently one in a state of flux.

Most importantly, it is the decline in performances from a previous peak set between the global tournaments of 2011 and 2019 that has caused some to speculate that we have moved out of the age of All Black exceptionalism.

Team Record

Prior to their travel for the fall series, it was confirmed that during the following season, in the non-existence of the southern hemisphere competition, the All Blacks will play South Africa in a summer series dubbed 'a tour like no other'.

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

In recent seasons, the Springboks have claimed a pair of World Cups, three southern hemisphere titles and a tour against the British and Irish Lions to be viewed as the team of their period.

New Zealand have persisted to beat the Irish team when it is crucial, defeating this weekend's rivals in the World Cup quarter finals of 2019 and '23. They have, at the same time, lost just two of the last fixtures with England, have overcome the Welsh side in all matches since the sixties and have never suffered defeat by Scotland.

Shifting Balance

But the decline of their position as the game's gold standard will persist as an irritation.

Whereas the New Zealand team reigned supreme through the previous decade - achieving eighty-seven percent of their fixtures, as well as claiming the Webb Ellis on two occasions - the global tournament of 2019 can now be viewed as when the competitive landscape moved in the international rugby.

New Zealand defeated the Springboks in their initial fixture of the tournament in Japan, but it was the South Africans who were ultimately triumphant in the championship match.

After that event, the All Blacks' success rate has dropped to seventy-one percent. South Africa themselves lost ten of their following games but, from the beginning of 2023, have won at a percentage (83%) to compete with even the former Kiwi champions.

Recent Encounters

During the equivalent timeframe, the South African team have won the majority of the seven meetings between the teams, comprising triumph in the recent championship match.

In claiming their most recent regional title, Rassie Erasmus' side delivered a historic loss on the New Zealand team courtesy of 36 unanswered second-half points in the capital, a score which has triggered another wave of debate concerning the development of the side under the coach.

Possibly most jarring for supporters of the New Zealand team will be that, allied to their traditional strength, the Springboks' achievement has come with an offensive flair more commonly connected with their traditional rivals.

Team Identity

During the period when the All Blacks were at the height of their capabilities 10 years ago, they were a clinical transition team capable of shredding rivals from every section of the field and at any point of the contest.

Today, their playing philosophy is more ambiguous as their leader, who has given numerous first caps during his two years in command, tries to primarily create the basic core elements of a winning team.

It has previously announced that the supporting manager overseeing offense, the current coach, will leave his role after the autumn tour, becoming the additional person of management team to leave after previous staff member left last year after just limited matches.

Expectations vs Reality

It was not only previous achievements, but his style, that was predicted to translate from Crusaders when he began his tenure after the recent tournament but, as yet, both continue to be a continuous improvement.

Organizational Strategy

After financial organization investors acquired shares in New Zealand rugby in recent years, the following communication spoke of the "pursuit of new global opportunities" for the team.

That objective has maybe been harder by the lack of a global icon. The current captain and the trio of family members are still recognizable personalities in the game, but the spread of talented players has expanded significantly. Their leader is the single All Black to win international honors in the past six seasons, in opposition to ten awards in multiple seasons between previous generations.

International Growth

Rather, efforts have been made to transplant the New Zealand team into new territories.

The opening phase of this 'Grand Slam' tour brings the All Blacks not to Dublin but Chicago, a return to the location where the Irish team achieved a first ever victory in the fixture during past tours.

Following the relaxation of health protocols, the New Zealand team have furthermore