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Aiming for what would be just a fifth tour victory in their illustrious legacy, the New Zealand side have headed north at an crucial period.

Matches against the Irish team, the Scottish side, the English squad and the Welsh team await the All Blacks across the upcoming weeks but, beyond the opportunity to join the teams of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the history books, the matches will be used as a yardstick to assess the improvement of the squad under a manager now well established from taking up the reins.

Team Issues

Doubts over a shortage of an distinctive approach, continuing controversies over selection and leavings from the coaching ticket have all fueled the sense that the most recognisable team in the rugby is currently one in a state of flux.

Most importantly, it is the decline in outcomes from a past excellence set between the global tournaments of 2011 and 2019 that has led some to speculate that we have transitioned away of the era of All Black exceptionalism.

Past Performance

Ahead of their journey for the European tour, it was confirmed that during the following season, in the lack of the southern hemisphere competition, the All Blacks will meet the Springboks in a summer series termed 'a tour like no other'.

Historically the game's two strongest sides, there is no question over who has lately dominated of what marketers have described 'The Premier Rivalry'.

During the last decade, the Springboks have secured a two of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a tour against the home nations team to be regarded as the squad of their generation.

New Zealand have maintained to defeat the Irish team when it matters most, overcoming Saturday's opponents in the tournament knockout stages of the past two tournaments. They have, additionally, been defeated in just a pair of the last fixtures with England, have defeated Wales in every encounter since the sixties and have remained unbeaten by Scotland.

Shifting Balance

But the loss of their standing as the rugby's benchmark will continue to rankle.

While the New Zealand team dominated through the 2010s - securing 87% of their international games, as well as winning the Webb Ellis on multiple times - the global tournament of the previous competition can now be viewed as when the balance of power changed in the global game.

The All Blacks beat the Springboks in their first game of the competition in the host nation, but it was the Boks' who were eventually successful in the championship match.

From that point, the All Blacks' winning percentage has fallen to seventy-one percent. South Africa themselves lost 10 of their next 26 Test matches but, commencing of last year, have achieved victory at a frequency (83%) to compete with even the former Kiwi champions.

Head-to-Head

Over the same period, the 'Boks have secured victory in the majority of the recent encounters between the sides, comprising triumph in the latest global tournament decider.

While securing their most recent southern hemisphere crown, the Springboks inflicted a historic loss on the All Blacks thanks to 36 unanswered second-half points in their home ground, a score which has sparked another round of discussion regarding the progress of the side under their leader.

Maybe most jarring for followers of the New Zealand team will be that, combined with their traditional strength, South Africa's achievement has come with an attacking verve more usually associated with their traditional rivals.

Team Identity

During the period when the New Zealand team were at the peak of their abilities a decade past, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit capable of dismantling competitors from every section of the pitch and at any moment of the match.

Now, their playing philosophy is less defined as Robertson, who has handed out 19 debuts during his two years in command, tries to initially build the more prosaic foundations of a successful side.

It has recently revealed that the supporting manager responsible for attack, Jason Holland, will depart his position after the autumn tour, making him the next individual of management team to depart after another coach walked away last year after just a handful of games.

Team Development

It was not only previous achievements, but his style, that was predicted to carry over from Crusaders when he assumed control after the recent tournament but, to date, the two aspects continue to be a continuous improvement.

Organizational Strategy

When private equity firm the company invested capital in All Blacks in the past, the ensuing statement spoke of the "pursuit of new global opportunities" for the organization.

That objective has maybe been harder by the absence of a global icon. Their key player and the group of Barrett brothers remain household names in the sport, but the concentration of key individuals has become more diverse. Their leader is the sole New Zealand player to win World Player of the Year in the past six seasons, in comparison to ten awards in multiple seasons between previous generations.

Worldwide Reach

Instead, attempts have been implemented to introduce the All Blacks into emerging regions.

The opening phase of this northern hemisphere series brings the All Blacks not to the Irish capital but Chicago, a revisit to the location where Ireland achieved a landmark success in the match nine years ago.

Following the relaxation of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the New Zealand team have also