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

Games against Ireland, Scotland, the English squad and Wales await Scott Robertson's side across the coming month but, quite aside from the possibility to match the squads of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the history books, the fixtures will be used as a yardstick to assess the progress of the side under a head coach now two years on from assuming control.

Current Challenges

Concerns over a shortage of an identifiable style, enduring debates over selection and leavings from the coaching ticket have all added to the feeling that the most famous squad in the rugby is currently one in a period of transition.

Most pertinently, it is the drop in performances from a previous peak set between the World Cups of the last decade that has led some to theorize that we have evolved beyond of the age of All Black exceptionalism.

Team Record

Prior to their departure for the fall series, it was announced that during the following season, in the lack of the Rugby Championship, New Zealand will face the Springboks in a warm-weather tour called 'a unique competition'.

In the past the rugby's premier teams, there is clear agreement over who has currently outperformed of what organizers have described 'The Premier Rivalry'.

In recent seasons, the Springboks have claimed a couple of World Cups, three Rugby Championships and a competition against the British and Irish Lions to be considered as the side of their generation.

The All Blacks have maintained to beat the Irish team when it is crucial, beating their next challengers in the global competition of 2019 and '23. They have, at the same time, lost just two of the recent encounters with England, have beaten the Welsh side in every encounter since the sixties and have remained unbeaten by Scotland.

Evolving Landscape

But the loss of their standing as the game's gold standard will remain frustrating.

Whereas the New Zealand team excelled through the previous decade - achieving eighty-seven percent of their international games, as well as winning the World Cup on several instances - the global tournament of 2019 can now be viewed as when the balance of power moved in the international rugby.

The All Blacks overcame South Africa in their opening match of the championship in Japan, but it was the Boks' who were ultimately triumphant in Yokohama.

From that point, the New Zealand's success rate has declined to seventy-one percent. South Africa themselves lost ten of their subsequent fixtures but, since the start of 2023, have won at a frequency (eighty-three percent) to match even the last great New Zealand team.

Direct Competition

During the same period, the South African team have won the majority of the past fixtures between the teams, featuring victory in the latest global tournament decider.

While securing their latest continental championship, Rassie Erasmus' side administered a historic loss on the All Blacks courtesy of dominant performance in Wellington, a outcome which has ignited another round of controversy concerning the development of the squad under the coach.

Possibly most jarring for followers of the New Zealand team will be that, combined with their usual power, the Springboks' achievement has come with an attacking verve more usually associated with their traditional rivals.

Style Evolution

When the New Zealand team were at the height of their capabilities in previous eras, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit equipped of shredding opponents from every section of the playing surface and at any moment of the contest.

Today, their attacking style is unclear as their leader, who has awarded numerous first caps during his two years in control, tries to first establish the fundamental building blocks of a competitive squad.

It has already been confirmed that the assistant coach overseeing offense, their offensive coordinator, will leave his role after the upcoming matches, becoming the second member of Robertson's ticket to depart after another coach walked away last year after just five Tests.

Expectations vs Reality

It was not only previous achievements, but his approach, that was expected to carry over from Crusaders when he took over after the global competition but, so far, each remain a ongoing development.

Organizational Strategy

Following investment group the company acquired shares in New Zealand rugby in 2022, the ensuing statement mentioned the "pursuit of international expansion" for the brand.

That task has possibly been more difficult by the absence of a international celebrity. The current captain and the trio of Barrett brothers continue to be well-known figures in the sport, but the spread of key individuals has never been spread wider. The captain is the only New Zealand player to earn World Player of the Year in the past six seasons, in contrast to ten awards in multiple seasons between previous generations.

International Growth

Rather, initiatives have been implemented to introduce the All Blacks into emerging regions.

The opening phase of this European campaign brings the All Blacks not to the Irish capital but Chicago, a return to the Soldier Field venue where Ireland obtained a landmark success in the fixture nine years ago.

Since the reduction of pandemic limitations, the All Blacks have additionally