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Seeking what would be just a fifth 'Grand Slam' in their storied history, the New Zealand side have embarked on their tour at an pivotal moment.

Games against Ireland, the Scottish side, the English squad and the Welsh team await the All Blacks across the coming month but, in addition to the opportunity to equal the squads of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the history books, the matches will be used as a benchmark to assess the improvement of the side under a head coach now two years on from beginning his tenure.

Present Difficulties

Doubts over a lack of an clear playing identity, continuing controversies over player choices and leavings from the backroom staff have all added to the feeling that the most famous squad in the game is currently one in a state of flux.

Most pertinently, it is the drop in outcomes from a past excellence set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has prompted some to suggest that we have transitioned away of the period of Kiwi superiority.

Past Performance

Ahead of their journey for the European tour, it was announced that next year, in the absence of the southern hemisphere competition, New Zealand will meet the Springboks in a warm-weather tour dubbed 'an unprecedented series'.

Historically the sport's top competitors, there is little doubt over who has lately dominated of what marketers have labeled 'The Ultimate Contest'.

During the last decade, the Springboks have secured a pair of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a tour against the northern hemisphere selection to be considered as the side of their period.

The All Blacks have persisted to defeat the Irish team when it counts most, overcoming their next challengers in the global competition of the past two tournaments. They have, at the same time, been defeated in just two of the recent encounters with the English team, have defeated the Welsh side in each game since 1963 and have remained unbeaten by the Scottish team.

Changing Dynamics

But the decline of their standing as the rugby's benchmark will remain frustrating.

While the All Blacks excelled through the last ten years - securing 87% of their Test matches, as well as claiming the global trophy on two occasions - the World Cup of the previous competition can now be regarded as when the hierarchical structure shifted in the global game.

The All Blacks overcame South Africa in their first game of the tournament in Japan, but it was the Boks' who were eventually successful in the championship match.

Since then, the New Zealand's victory ratio has fallen to 71%. The Springboks themselves lost 10 of their following games but, from the beginning of last year, have achieved victory at a percentage (83%) to compete with even the former Kiwi champions.

Head-to-Head

During the comparable duration, the South African team have won five of the past fixtures between the teams, including triumph in the 2023 World Cup final.

While securing their most recent regional title, South Africa inflicted a historic loss on the All Blacks through 36 unanswered second-half points in their home ground, a outcome which has triggered another round of controversy concerning the direction of the team under Robertson.

Possibly most jarring for supporters of the All Blacks will be that, allied to their characteristic physicality, South Africa's success has come with an attacking verve more typically linked with their traditional rivals.

Team Identity

When the New Zealand team were at the zenith of their powers 10 years ago, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit capable of shredding opponents from any part of the field and at any moment of the contest.

Now, their playing philosophy is unclear as their leader, who has given 19 debuts during his 24 months in command, tries to first establish the fundamental foundations of a successful side.

It has recently revealed that the supporting manager overseeing offense, the current coach, will leave his role after the upcoming matches, becoming the second member of Robertson's ticket to leave after another coach departed last year after just a handful of games.

Performance Gap

It was not merely previous achievements, but his style, that was predicted to transfer from previous club when he began his tenure after the global competition but, so far, each remain a work in progress.

Business Factors

When private equity firm the company invested capital in All Blacks in the past, the subsequent announcement spoke of the "search of worldwide growth" for the team.

That task has possibly been harder by the lack of a international celebrity. Their key player and the trio of family members are still household names in the sport, but the distribution of stars has become more diverse. The captain is the single All Black to receive global recognition in the current era, in contrast to 10 in over a decade between 2005 and '07.

International Growth

Instead, attempts have been made to establish the New Zealand team into emerging regions.

The opening phase of this northern hemisphere series brings the All Blacks not to the Irish capital but Chicago, a comeback to the location where the Irish team obtained a historic win in the match in previous seasons.

Since the reduction of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the All Blacks have additionally