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Aiming for what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their legendary past, the All Blacks have embarked on their tour at an pivotal moment.

Matches against the Irish team, the Scottish side, the English squad and the Welsh team await the New Zealand team across the upcoming weeks but, quite aside from the chance to join the sides of previous successful tours in the annals of rugby, the games will be used as a benchmark to assess the progress of the side under a leader now two years on from taking up the reins.

Current Challenges

Doubts over a lack of an identifiable style, enduring debates over selection and leavings from the coaching ticket have all fueled the perception that the most recognisable team in the game is presently one in a state of flux.

Most pertinently, it is the drop in performances from a previous peak set between the global tournaments of 2011 and 2019 that has prompted some to suggest that we have moved out of the era of Kiwi superiority.

Team Record

Before their travel for the northern hemisphere, it was confirmed that during the following season, in the lack of the southern hemisphere competition, New Zealand will face South Africa in a summer series called 'a tour like no other'.

Historically the game's two strongest sides, there is clear agreement over who has recently got the better of what marketers have called 'The Ultimate Contest'.

Over the past seven years, the Springboks have won a pair of global tournaments, three southern hemisphere titles and a competition against the British and Irish Lions to be considered as the side of their era.

The All Blacks have maintained to overcome the Irish team when it matters most, defeating this weekend's rivals in the tournament knockout stages of recent years. They have, meanwhile, been defeated in just a pair of the last fixtures with the English team, have defeated the Welsh side in each game since the sixties and have never suffered defeat by the Scottish team.

Evolving Landscape

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

Although the New Zealand team excelled through the last ten years - achieving eighty-seven percent of their Test matches, as well as lifting the global trophy on several instances - the global tournament of the previous competition can now be regarded as when the competitive landscape shifted in the global game.

New Zealand overcame the Springboks in their opening match of the competition in Japan, but it was the Boks' who were ultimately triumphant in Yokohama.

From that point, the New Zealand's victory ratio has dropped to 71%. The Springboks themselves lost 10 of their next 26 Test matches but, commencing of 2023, have achieved victory at a percentage (83%) to match even the last great New Zealand team.

Direct Competition

Over the comparable duration, the 'Boks have won the majority of the recent encounters between the opponents, comprising success in the recent championship match.

While securing their current regional title, South Africa administered a record 43-10 defeat on the New Zealand team through dominant performance in the capital, a outcome which has sparked another series of debate regarding the development of the team under Robertson.

Possibly most concerning for fans of the All Blacks will be that, alongside their traditional strength, the Springboks' triumph has come with an creative approach more commonly connected with their own side.

Playing Philosophy

When the New Zealand team were at the height of their abilities in previous eras, they were a clinical transition team capable of dismantling opponents from every section of the field and at any point of the game.

Currently, their playing philosophy is unclear as Robertson, who has awarded multiple new players during his 24 months in charge, tries to primarily create the basic building blocks of a winning team.

It has already been confirmed that the assistant coach overseeing offense, Jason Holland, will exit the team after the autumn tour, making him the second member of the coaching staff to leave after previous staff member walked away last year after just five Tests.

Expectations vs Reality

It was not merely previous achievements, but his approach, that was anticipated to translate from previous club when he took over after the recent tournament but, to date, the two aspects are still a work in progress.

Business Factors

Following financial organization the company acquired shares in All Blacks in the past, the subsequent announcement discussed the "pursuit of new global opportunities" for the brand.

That task has possibly been more challenging by the lack of a crossover star. The current captain and the collection of Barrett brothers are still recognizable personalities in the game, but the concentration of talented players has become more diverse. The captain is the single New Zealand player to earn World Player of the Year in the past six seasons, in comparison to ten awards in 13 years between 2005 and '07.

Global Expansion

Alternatively, efforts have been made to transplant the All Blacks into previously untapped markets.

The opening phase of this European campaign brings New Zealand not to the Irish capital but the American city, a revisit to the stadium where Ireland achieved a historic win in the fixture nine years ago.

Following the easing of pandemic limitations, the All Blacks have additionally