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

Games against Ireland, the Scottish side, England and Wales await the All Blacks across the coming month but, in addition to the opportunity to match the squads of previous successful tours in the history books, the games will be used as a yardstick to measure the improvement of the side under a manager now 24 months into from taking up the reins.

Present Difficulties

Concerns over a absence of an identifiable style, ongoing discussions over team picks and leavings from the backroom staff have all contributed to the feeling that the best-known side in the rugby is presently one in a period of transition.

Most pertinently, it is the dip in results from a past excellence set between the World Cups of the last decade that has led some to theorize that we have transitioned away of the period of Kiwi superiority.

Recent History

Before their journey for the northern hemisphere, it was revealed that in the coming year, in the absence of the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks will face the Springboks in a summer series termed 'an unprecedented series'.

In the past the sport's top competitors, there is no question over who has lately dominated of what promoters have called 'The Ultimate Contest'.

During the last decade, the South African team have secured a couple of World Cups, three Rugby Championships and a tour against the home nations team to be considered as the side of their generation.

New Zealand have continued to defeat the Irish team when it matters most, beating Saturday's opponents in the World Cup quarter finals of the past two tournaments. They have, additionally, lost just a pair of the recent encounters with England, have defeated the Welsh side in every encounter since 1963 and have never suffered defeat by the Scottish team.

Shifting Balance

But the diminishment of their status as the rugby's benchmark will remain frustrating.

While the All Blacks dominated through the last ten years - winning eighty-seven percent of their Test matches, as well as lifting the Webb Ellis on two occasions - the global tournament of 2019 can now be regarded as when the competitive landscape shifted in the world sport.

New Zealand defeated South Africa in their first game of the competition in Japan, but it was the Boks' who were finally victorious in Yokohama.

Since then, the New Zealand's victory ratio has declined to 71%. The Springboks themselves lost ten of their following games but, since the start of 2023, have won at a rate (eighty-three percent) to match even the last great New Zealand team.

Recent Encounters

Throughout the comparable duration, the Springboks have secured victory in the majority of the past fixtures between the sides, featuring triumph in the latest global tournament decider.

In claiming their most recent southern hemisphere crown, South Africa administered a historic loss on the All Blacks thanks to 36 unanswered second-half points in their home ground, a score which has sparked another series of debate regarding the development of the team under their leader.

Maybe most troubling for fans of the All Blacks will be that, alongside their traditional strength, the Springboks' achievement has come with an creative approach more typically linked with their own side.

Playing Philosophy

When the All Blacks were at the height of their powers 10 years ago, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit equipped of destroying competitors from every section of the playing surface and at any point of the game.

Currently, their playing philosophy is less defined as the coach, who has given multiple new players during his 24 months in charge, tries to first establish the more prosaic foundations of a successful side.

It has previously announced that the assistant coach responsible for offense, Jason Holland, will depart his position after the fall series, making him the additional person of Robertson's ticket to exit after previous staff member left last year after just a handful of games.

Performance Gap

It was not just Robertson's success, but his approach, that was expected to carry over from previous club when he assumed control after the global competition but, so far, the two aspects are still a continuous improvement.

Commercial Considerations

When financial organization Silver Lake bought a stake in All Blacks in recent years, the ensuing statement discussed the "search of international expansion" for the organization.

That objective has perhaps been more difficult by the shortage of a global icon. Their key player and the collection of Barrett brothers are still recognizable personalities in the game, but the distribution of stars has never been spread wider. Their leader is the sole New Zealand player to earn World Player of the Year in the current era, in contrast to ten awards in 13 years between previous generations.

International Growth

Rather, attempts have been undertaken to transplant the New Zealand team into new territories.

The first leg of this 'Grand Slam' tour brings New Zealand not to Dublin but Chicago, a comeback to the location where the Irish team secured a first ever victory in the contest nine years ago.

Since the relaxation of pandemic limitations, the All Blacks have also