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

Fixtures against Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales await the All Blacks across the coming month but, in addition to the chance to join the squads of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the record books, the fixtures will be used as a yardstick to evaluate the progress of the squad under a manager now two years on from taking up the reins.

Present Difficulties

Concerns over a shortage of an clear playing identity, enduring debates over selection and departures from the coaching ticket have all contributed to the feeling that the best-known side in the sport 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 caused some to theorize that we have evolved beyond of the era of All Black exceptionalism.

Team Record

Ahead of their journey for the northern hemisphere, it was announced that next year, in the non-existence of the Rugby Championship, New Zealand will meet South Africa in a warm-weather tour termed 'an unprecedented series'.

Historically the rugby's premier teams, there is clear agreement over who has currently outperformed of what organizers have labeled 'The Ultimate Contest'.

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

The All Blacks have continued to beat the Irish team when it counts most, beating this weekend's rivals in the global competition of the past two tournaments. They have, additionally, been defeated in just a pair of the last fixtures with the English team, have beaten the Welsh side in each game since 1963 and have never suffered defeat by Scotland.

Evolving Landscape

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

Although the All Blacks excelled through the last ten years - winning eighty-seven percent of their Test matches, as well as lifting the global trophy on multiple times - the global tournament of the previous competition can now be viewed as when the competitive landscape changed in the international rugby.

The All Blacks beat the Springboks in their opening match of the tournament in the host nation, but it was the South Africans who were eventually successful in the championship match.

From that point, the All Blacks' victory ratio has declined to seventy-one percent. South Africa themselves were defeated in 10 of their next 26 Test matches but, since the start of last year, have achieved victory at a percentage (83%) to rival even the former Kiwi champions.

Recent Encounters

Over the same period, the Springboks have secured victory in five of the recent encounters between the opponents, featuring victory in the 2023 World Cup final.

While securing their most recent continental championship, the Springboks delivered a historic loss on the New Zealand team thanks to overwhelming display in their home ground, a result which has ignited another round of controversy concerning the development of the side under Robertson.

Perhaps most troubling for supporters of the New Zealand team will be that, allied to their characteristic physicality, the Springboks' achievement has come with an creative approach more commonly connected with their own side.

Playing Philosophy

When the New Zealand team were at the zenith of their abilities in previous eras, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit equipped of destroying competitors from every section of the pitch and at any point of the match.

Now, their offensive approach is less defined as their leader, who has given 19 debuts during his 24 months in command, tries to first establish the more prosaic building blocks of a successful side.

It has recently revealed that the assistant coach in charge of attack, the current coach, will exit the team after the fall series, making him the second member of the coaching staff to exit after previous staff member left last year after just a handful of games.

Team Development

It was not just previous achievements, but his methodology, that was anticipated to translate from previous club when he took over after the 2023 World Cup but, so far, each remain a ongoing development.

Business Factors

When financial organization Silver Lake invested capital in New Zealand rugby in 2022, the subsequent announcement discussed the "search of new global opportunities" for the brand.

That objective has maybe been harder by the shortage of a crossover star. Ardie Savea and the trio of related players are still well-known figures in the game, but the distribution of stars has expanded significantly. Savea is the single New Zealand player to receive global recognition in the past six seasons, in opposition to ten awards in multiple seasons between 2005 and '07.

International Growth

Alternatively, efforts have been implemented to introduce the All Blacks into new territories.

The first leg of this 'Grand Slam' tour brings the All Blacks not to the Irish capital but the American city, a return to the stadium where the Irish team achieved a first ever victory in the contest during past tours.

After the reduction of health protocols, the All Blacks have additionally