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Aiming for what would be just a fifth 'Grand Slam' in their legendary past, the All Blacks have headed north at an crucial period.

Games against the Irish team, the Scottish side, the English squad and Wales await the All Blacks across the upcoming weeks but, beyond the possibility to match the sides of previous successful tours in the annals of rugby, the fixtures will be used as a yardstick to evaluate the improvement of the team under a leader now 24 months into from taking up the reins.

Current Challenges

Questions over a absence of an clear playing identity, enduring debates over selection and leavings from the coaching ticket have all contributed to the perception that the most famous squad in the sport is now one in a time of change.

Most significantly, it is the decline in outcomes from a past excellence set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has prompted some to speculate that we have evolved beyond of the age of All Black exceptionalism.

Team Record

Ahead of their travel for the northern hemisphere, it was revealed that in the coming year, in the lack of the southern hemisphere competition, the All Blacks will play South Africa in a warm-weather tour dubbed 'a unique competition'.

In the past the game's two strongest sides, 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 secured a two of World Cups, three southern hemisphere titles and a series against the northern hemisphere selection to be considered as the side of their era.

The All Blacks have persisted to defeat Ireland when it matters most, beating this weekend's rivals in the global competition of recent years. They have, at the same time, lost just a pair of the last fixtures with the English team, have overcome Wales in every encounter since 1963 and have always been victorious by Scotland.

Evolving Landscape

But the diminishment of their status as the sport's measure of excellence will remain frustrating.

While the New Zealand team reigned supreme through the last ten years - winning eighty-seven percent of their international games, as well as winning the World Cup on several instances - the global tournament of the previous competition can now be viewed as when the balance of power changed in the international rugby.

New Zealand overcame the Springboks in their first game of the championship in the host nation, but it was the South Africans who were finally victorious in the final.

Since then, the All Blacks' success rate has dropped to 71%. The Springboks themselves were defeated in 10 of their next 26 Test matches but, since the start of 2023, have won at a percentage (eighty-three percent) to match even the last great New Zealand team.

Head-to-Head

During the same period, the 'Boks have won five of the recent encounters between the teams, featuring triumph in the latest global tournament decider.

In claiming their most recent southern hemisphere crown, the Springboks inflicted a historic loss on the New Zealand team through 36 unanswered second-half points in Wellington, a result which has sparked another round of debate regarding the progress of the team under their leader.

Perhaps most concerning for supporters of the New Zealand team will be that, allied to their usual power, South Africa's triumph has come with an attacking verve more usually associated with their opposition team.

Playing Philosophy

When the All Blacks were at the peak of their powers in previous eras, they were a clinical transition team able of destroying rivals from all areas of the field and at any point of the game.

Currently, their playing philosophy is unclear as the coach, who has awarded multiple new players during his two years in command, tries to primarily create the more prosaic foundations of a competitive squad.

It has recently revealed that the supporting manager overseeing scoring, the current coach, will depart his position after the autumn tour, becoming the additional person of management team to exit after another coach left last year after just five Tests.

Performance Gap

It was not only Robertson's success, but his methodology, that was predicted to translate from previous club when he began his tenure after the 2023 World Cup but, as yet, each remain a continuous improvement.

Organizational Strategy

When investment group investors invested capital in New Zealand rugby in 2022, the ensuing statement mentioned the "quest of new global opportunities" for the organization.

That task has possibly been more difficult by the absence of a international celebrity. Ardie Savea and the collection of related players remain household names in the game, but the spread of key individuals has never been spread wider. The captain is the single All Black to receive World Player of the Year in the current era, in contrast to ten awards in 13 years between previous generations.

Worldwide Reach

Alternatively, initiatives have been undertaken to establish the All Blacks into previously untapped markets.

The first leg of this northern hemisphere series brings New Zealand not to the Irish capital but the American city, a comeback to the stadium where the Irish team achieved a historic win in the fixture nine years ago.

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