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Pursuing what would be just a fifth 'Grand Slam' in their legendary past, the New Zealand side have embarked on their tour at an crucial period.

Games against Ireland, the Scottish side, England and Wales await Scott Robertson's side across the coming month but, quite aside from the chance to join the squads of previous successful tours in the annals of rugby, the fixtures will be used as a measure to evaluate the progress of the side under a leader now two years on from assuming control.

Team Issues

Questions over a lack of an distinctive approach, continuing controversies over selection and leavings from the backroom staff have all contributed to the perception that the most recognisable team in the rugby is currently one in a state of flux.

Most pertinently, it is the drop in performances from a past excellence set between the global tournaments of the last decade that has led some to suggest that we have moved out of the era of Kiwi superiority.

Past Performance

Before their departure for the fall series, it was confirmed that during the following season, in the absence of the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks will face South Africa in a summer series called 'a tour like no other'.

Traditionally the game's two strongest sides, there is little doubt over who has recently got the better of what marketers have labeled 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'.

Over the past seven years, the Springboks have claimed a two of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a tour against the British and Irish Lions to be regarded as the team of their period.

The All Blacks have persisted to overcome Ireland when it counts most, defeating this weekend's rivals in the tournament knockout stages of 2019 and '23. They have, additionally, been defeated in just two of the last fixtures with England, have beaten Wales in every encounter since over sixty years ago and have always been victorious by Scotland.

Evolving Landscape

But the loss of their status as the game's gold standard will persist as an irritation.

Although the New Zealand team dominated through the last ten years - achieving eighty-seven percent of their Test matches, as well as claiming the World Cup on multiple times - the World Cup of the previous competition can now be viewed as when the competitive landscape changed in the international rugby.

The All Blacks defeated South Africa in their opening match of the championship in the host nation, but it was the Boks' who were eventually successful in the championship match.

After that event, the New Zealand's winning percentage has fallen to 71%. South Africa themselves lost 10 of their subsequent fixtures but, from the beginning of 2023, have won at a percentage (eighty-three percent) to match even the last great New Zealand team.

Recent Encounters

Over the comparable duration, the South African team have secured victory in five of the seven meetings between the teams, featuring triumph in the 2023 World Cup final.

While securing their latest continental championship, South Africa inflicted a historic loss on the All Blacks thanks to overwhelming display in their home ground, a result which has triggered another wave of controversy regarding the direction of the team under Robertson.

Perhaps most jarring for fans of the All Blacks will be that, alongside their traditional strength, South Africa's triumph has come with an offensive flair more typically linked with their opposition team.

Team Identity

At the time that the New Zealand team were at the zenith of their powers in previous eras, they were a clinical transition team able of destroying opponents from all areas of the playing surface and at all times of the game.

Today, their offensive approach is unclear as Robertson, who has given 19 debuts during his 24 months in charge, tries to initially build the basic foundations of a winning team.

It has previously announced that the backroom staff member in charge of attack, the current coach, will exit the team after the upcoming matches, becoming the second member of Robertson's ticket to exit after another coach departed last year after just a handful of games.

Team Development

It was not just Robertson's success, but his approach, that was expected to translate from his former team when he began his tenure after the global competition but, so far, each remain a work in progress.

Business Factors

When financial organization investors bought a stake in All Blacks in recent years, the ensuing statement spoke of the "quest of international expansion" for the organization.

That objective has possibly been harder by the absence of a crossover star. The current captain and the collection of related players continue to be well-known figures in the game, but the spread of stars has expanded significantly. Savea is the sole New Zealand player to earn World Player of the Year in the past six seasons, in opposition to 10 in over a decade between the mid-2000s.

Worldwide Reach

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

The first leg of this northern hemisphere series brings the All Blacks not to the Irish capital but the American city, a revisit to the Soldier Field venue where the Irish team secured a first ever victory in the fixture nine years ago.

Following the reduction of health protocols, the All Blacks have also