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Aiming for what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their storied history, the New Zealand side have headed north at an pivotal moment.

Matches against Ireland, Scotland, the English squad and the Welsh team await Scott Robertson's side across the upcoming weeks but, quite aside from the opportunity to equal the teams of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the annals of rugby, the fixtures will be used as a benchmark to measure the improvement of the team under a leader now 24 months into from beginning his tenure.

Current Challenges

Concerns over a lack of an distinctive approach, enduring debates over team picks and exits from the management team have all added to the sense that the best-known side in the rugby is currently one in a time of change.

Most pertinently, it is the decline in outcomes from a previous peak set between the global tournaments of the last decade that has caused some to speculate that we have evolved beyond of the era of New Zealand dominance.

Recent History

Before their travel for the fall series, it was announced that in the coming year, in the absence of the southern hemisphere competition, New Zealand will face South Africa in a warm-weather tour termed 'a tour like no other'.

Historically the game's two strongest sides, there is no question over who has recently got the better of what promoters have called 'The Premier Rivalry'.

Over the past seven years, the Springboks have claimed a two of global tournaments, 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 persisted to beat the Irish team when it counts most, beating this weekend's rivals in the global competition of recent years. They have, additionally, lost just two of the past 21 meetings with England, have defeated the Welsh side in all matches since 1963 and have remained unbeaten by Scotland.

Evolving Landscape

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

While the All Blacks excelled through the last ten years - securing 87% of their Test matches, as well as winning the Webb Ellis on two occasions - the global tournament of the previous competition can now be viewed as when the hierarchical structure moved in the world sport.

The All Blacks beat South Africa in their initial fixture of the competition in Japan, but it was the South Africans who were ultimately triumphant in Yokohama.

From that point, the All Blacks' success rate has dropped to 71%. The Springboks themselves were defeated in 10 of their following games but, since the start of last year, have won at a rate (83%) to compete with even the previous All Blacks side.

Head-to-Head

During the equivalent timeframe, the Springboks have won the majority of the seven meetings between the sides, including triumph in the recent championship match.

During their pursuit of their latest southern hemisphere crown, Rassie Erasmus' side inflicted a significant beating on the All Blacks through dominant performance in Wellington, a score which has triggered another wave of controversy about the progress of the squad under the coach.

Possibly most concerning for followers of the All Blacks will be that, allied to their characteristic physicality, South Africa's success has come with an offensive flair more typically linked with their own side.

Playing Philosophy

When the All Blacks were at the peak of their capabilities 10 years ago, they were a devastating offensive machine capable of dismantling opponents from any part of the playing surface and at all times of the match.

Currently, their playing philosophy is more ambiguous as Robertson, who has awarded numerous first caps during his recent tenure in command, tries to initially build the fundamental foundations of a winning team.

It has recently revealed that the supporting manager responsible for scoring, Jason Holland, will depart his position after the autumn tour, making him the next individual of the coaching staff to depart after another coach departed last year after just limited matches.

Performance Gap

It was not only previous achievements, but his methodology, that was expected to transfer from previous club when he assumed control after the recent tournament but, as yet, the two aspects remain a continuous improvement.

Commercial Considerations

Following financial organization Silver Lake acquired shares in New Zealand rugby in 2022, the subsequent announcement mentioned the "quest of international expansion" for the team.

That objective has perhaps been more difficult by the shortage of a crossover star. The current captain and the collection of Barrett brothers remain well-known figures in the sport, but the distribution of key individuals has expanded significantly. The captain is the only All Black to win World Player of the Year in the current era, in comparison to ten awards in 13 years between the mid-2000s.

International Growth

Instead, efforts have been implemented to establish the All Blacks into previously untapped markets.

The initial stage of this European campaign brings the All Blacks not to the Irish capital but Chicago, a return to the location where the Irish team secured a first ever victory in the fixture in previous seasons.

Since the easing of pandemic limitations, the All Blacks have furthermore