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Seeking what would be just a fifth 'Grand Slam' in their illustrious legacy, the New Zealand side have headed north at an interesting juncture.

Matches against the Irish team, the Scottish side, England and Wales await the New Zealand team across the upcoming weeks but, beyond the possibility to equal the sides of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the record books, the games will be used as a measure to assess the development of the squad under a head coach now well established from assuming control.

Team Issues

Doubts over a absence of an identifiable style, continuing controversies over team picks and leavings from the coaching ticket have all contributed to the perception that the best-known side in the sport is presently one in a period of transition.

Most pertinently, it is the drop in outcomes from a previous peak set between the global tournaments of 2011 and 2019 that has prompted some to suggest that we have transitioned away of the period of Kiwi superiority.

Recent History

Ahead of their departure for the fall series, it was revealed that during the following season, in the non-existence of the Rugby Championship, New Zealand will play the Springboks in a warm-weather tour dubbed 'a unique competition'.

In the past the rugby's premier teams, there is little doubt over who has recently got the better of what organizers have labeled 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'.

In recent seasons, the South African team have secured a couple of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a tour against the northern hemisphere selection to be considered as the team of their generation.

The All Blacks have persisted to overcome the Irish team when it is crucial, defeating this weekend's rivals in the tournament knockout stages of the past two tournaments. They have, at the same time, been defeated in just a pair of the recent encounters with the English team, have defeated Wales in every encounter since over sixty years ago and have always been victorious by the Scottish team.

Changing Dynamics

But the loss of their position as the game's gold standard will continue to rankle.

While the All Blacks reigned supreme through the previous decade - achieving 87% of their Test matches, as well as winning the global trophy on several instances - the global tournament of 2019 can now be regarded as when the balance of power changed in the global game.

New Zealand overcame the Springboks in their initial fixture of the championship in Japan, but it was the Boks' who were eventually successful in Yokohama.

From that point, the New Zealand's winning percentage has fallen to seventy-one percent. The Springboks themselves were defeated in ten of their subsequent fixtures but, since the start of last year, have achieved victory at a frequency (83%) to rival even the previous All Blacks side.

Recent Encounters

Throughout the same period, the Springboks have secured victory in five of the past fixtures between the sides, featuring success in the 2023 World Cup final.

While securing their latest continental championship, the Springboks delivered a significant beating on the All Blacks courtesy of overwhelming display in Wellington, a outcome which has triggered another series of debate about the progress of the side under Robertson.

Possibly most troubling for supporters of the All Blacks will be that, alongside their traditional strength, the Springboks' success has come with an offensive flair more usually associated with their own side.

Team Identity

At the time that the New Zealand team were at the peak of their capabilities in previous eras, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit able of destroying opponents from all areas of the pitch and at any moment of the contest.

Currently, their playing philosophy is more ambiguous as the coach, who has awarded multiple new players during his two years in command, tries to first establish the fundamental foundations of a successful side.

It has previously announced that the backroom staff member in charge of scoring, their offensive coordinator, will depart his position after the upcoming matches, making him the second member of management team to leave after another coach walked away last year after just a handful of games.

Performance Gap

It was not just Robertson's success, but his methodology, that was anticipated to transfer from Crusaders when he assumed control after the global competition but, as yet, the two aspects continue to be a ongoing development.

Business Factors

After investment group investors invested capital in All Blacks in recent years, the ensuing statement discussed the "search of new global opportunities" for the team.

That task has maybe been harder by the lack of a global icon. Their key player and the collection of family members continue to be household names in the rugby, but the concentration of talented players has become more diverse. Savea is the only New Zealand player to win global recognition in the current era, in comparison to ten awards in over a decade between the mid-2000s.

Global Expansion

Rather, efforts have been implemented to transplant the All Blacks into previously untapped markets.

The opening phase of this northern hemisphere series brings the All Blacks not to the Irish capital but Chicago, a comeback to the stadium where the Irish team obtained a historic win in the contest nine years ago.

Following the reduction of pandemic limitations, the New Zealand team have additionally