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Seeking what would be just a fifth 'Grand Slam' in their illustrious legacy, the New Zealand side have traveled to Europe at an interesting juncture.

Fixtures against Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales await Scott Robertson's side across the next four weekends but, in addition to the possibility to match the teams of previous successful tours in the record books, the matches will be used as a benchmark to measure the progress of the team under a manager now two years on from assuming control.

Present Difficulties

Doubts over a lack of an clear playing identity, continuing controversies over team picks and exits from the management team have all fueled the feeling that the most famous squad in the sport is now one in a period of transition.

Most pertinently, it is the drop in outcomes from a past excellence set between the World Cups of the last decade that has led some to speculate that we have transitioned away of the age of All Black exceptionalism.

Recent History

Ahead of their journey for the northern hemisphere, it was announced that in the coming year, in the lack of the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks will meet the Springboks in a summer series termed 'an unprecedented series'.

In the past the sport's top competitors, there is little doubt over who has recently got the better of what promoters have labeled 'The Ultimate Contest'.

In recent seasons, the South African team have secured a two of global tournaments, three southern hemisphere titles and a tour against the British and Irish Lions to be regarded as the squad of their period.

New Zealand have continued to defeat Ireland when it is crucial, defeating their next challengers in the global competition of recent years. They have, meanwhile, been defeated in just a pair of the past 21 meetings with England, have overcome the Welsh side in all matches since the sixties and have remained unbeaten by Scotland.

Evolving Landscape

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

Whereas the New Zealand team dominated through the previous decade - winning eighty-seven percent of their fixtures, as well as winning the World Cup on several instances - the World Cup of the previous competition can now be viewed as when the competitive landscape changed in the world sport.

New Zealand beat South Africa in their first game of the tournament in Japan, but it was the South Africans who were eventually successful in the championship match.

After that event, the All Blacks' success rate has declined to seventy-one percent. The Springboks themselves were defeated in 10 of their next 26 Test matches but, from the beginning of last year, have achieved victory at a percentage (83%) to match even the former Kiwi champions.

Head-to-Head

Over the comparable duration, the 'Boks have won five of the recent encounters between the sides, including success in the 2023 World Cup final.

While securing their most recent southern hemisphere crown, South Africa inflicted a historic loss on the All Blacks thanks to 36 unanswered second-half points in Wellington, a outcome which has ignited another series of debate about the direction of the squad under their leader.

Possibly most concerning for supporters of the New Zealand team will be that, combined with their traditional strength, the Springboks' triumph has come with an offensive flair more typically linked with their traditional rivals.

Team Identity

When the New Zealand team were at the zenith of their capabilities 10 years ago, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit able of shredding competitors from every section of the field and at any point of the match.

Today, their offensive approach is more ambiguous as the coach, who has given multiple new players during his recent tenure in control, tries to initially build the more prosaic building blocks of a competitive squad.

It has already been confirmed that the backroom staff member in charge of offense, Jason Holland, will exit the team after the fall series, making him the next individual of Robertson's ticket to exit after Leon MacDonald walked away last year after just a handful of games.

Expectations vs Reality

It was not only his winning record, but his approach, that was anticipated to transfer from previous club when he assumed control after the global competition but, to date, the two aspects remain a continuous improvement.

Business Factors

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

That task has maybe been harder by the absence of a crossover star. Ardie Savea and the trio of Barrett brothers remain recognizable personalities in the rugby, but the concentration of talented players has expanded significantly. Their leader is the sole All Black to earn World Player of the Year in the past six seasons, in contrast to 10 in over a decade between previous generations.

Global Expansion

Instead, efforts have been implemented to transplant the New Zealand team into previously untapped markets.

The opening phase of this European campaign brings the All Blacks not to Dublin but the American city, a revisit to the location where the Irish team obtained a historic win in the match in previous seasons.

Since the relaxation of health protocols, the All Blacks have also