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Seeking what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their storied history, the All Blacks have headed north at an interesting juncture.

Fixtures against the Irish team, the Scottish side, England and Wales await the All Blacks across the coming month but, quite aside from the opportunity to equal the squads of previous successful tours in the annals of rugby, the matches will be used as a yardstick to measure the development of the squad under a manager now two years on from beginning his tenure.

Present Difficulties

Questions over a lack of an identifiable style, ongoing discussions over player choices and exits from the backroom staff have all fueled the feeling that the best-known side in the game is currently one in a state of flux.

Most significantly, it is the dip in performances from a previous peak set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has prompted some to theorize that we have transitioned away of the era of All Black exceptionalism.

Recent History

Prior to their journey for the northern hemisphere, it was announced that next year, in the absence of the southern hemisphere competition, the All Blacks will meet South Africa in a off-season matches called 'an unprecedented series'.

In the past the sport's top competitors, there is no question over who has lately dominated of what organizers have called 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'.

During the last decade, the South African team have secured a pair of global tournaments, three southern hemisphere titles and a competition against the British and Irish Lions to be regarded as the side of their era.

New Zealand have continued to beat Ireland when it counts most, defeating Saturday's opponents in the tournament knockout stages of the past two tournaments. They have, at the same time, lost just a pair of the past 21 meetings with the English team, have beaten Wales in all matches since over sixty years ago and have always been victorious by the Scottish team.

Changing Dynamics

But the diminishment of their standing as the game's gold standard will continue to rankle.

Although the All Blacks excelled through the 2010s - securing 87% of their international games, as well as claiming the Webb Ellis on two occasions - the global tournament of the previous competition can now be viewed as when the competitive landscape shifted in the international rugby.

The All Blacks defeated the Springboks in their first game of the tournament in Japan, but it was the Boks' who were eventually successful in Yokohama.

After that event, the New Zealand's victory ratio has declined to seventy-one percent. The Springboks themselves were defeated in 10 of their subsequent fixtures but, commencing of last year, have achieved victory at a rate (eighty-three percent) to rival even the last great New Zealand team.

Head-to-Head

Throughout the comparable duration, the Springboks have secured victory in the majority of the recent encounters between the teams, featuring success in the 2023 World Cup final.

During their pursuit of their current southern hemisphere crown, South Africa administered a historic loss on the All Blacks courtesy of 36 unanswered second-half points in their home ground, a result which has triggered another series of discussion about the progress of the side under the coach.

Possibly most troubling for fans of the All Blacks will be that, allied to their traditional strength, the Springboks' achievement has come with an creative approach more typically linked with their opposition team.

Style Evolution

At the time that the New Zealand team were at the height of their powers in previous eras, they were a clinical transition team able of destroying competitors from all areas of the playing surface and at any point of the match.

Now, their attacking style is less defined as Robertson, who has awarded numerous first caps during his 24 months in command, tries to first establish the basic foundations of a successful side.

It has previously announced that the backroom staff member 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 a handful of games.

Performance Gap

It was not merely previous achievements, but his approach, that was anticipated to transfer from previous club when he began his tenure after the 2023 World Cup but, as yet, each remain a work in progress.

Commercial Considerations

Following investment group Silver Lake bought a stake in New Zealand rugby in 2022, the following communication mentioned the "search of new global opportunities" for the brand.

That goal has possibly been more difficult by the shortage of a international celebrity. Their key player and the trio of Barrett brothers are still household names in the sport, but the spread of key individuals has expanded significantly. The captain is the single New Zealand player to receive international honors in the current era, in comparison to ten awards in over a decade between the mid-2000s.

International Growth

Instead, efforts have been made to transplant the New Zealand team into new territories.

The opening phase of this European campaign brings New Zealand not to the Irish capital but Chicago, a revisit to the stadium where the Irish team achieved a first ever victory in the match during past tours.

Following the reduction of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the New Zealand team have additionally