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Aiming for what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their storied history, the New Zealand side have headed north at an interesting juncture.

Games against the Irish team, the Scottish side, the English squad and the Welsh team await the All Blacks across the upcoming weeks but, quite aside from the chance to match the squads of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the annals of rugby, the fixtures will be used as a measure to assess the progress of the side under a head coach now well established from taking up the reins.

Present Difficulties

Concerns over a lack of an clear playing identity, ongoing discussions over player choices and exits from the coaching ticket have all contributed to the perception that the most famous squad in the game is now one in a state of flux.

Most significantly, it is the drop in results from a previous peak set between the World Cups of the last decade that has caused some to theorize that we have evolved beyond of the age of Kiwi superiority.

Past Performance

Before their travel for the northern hemisphere, it was confirmed that during the following season, in the absence of the southern hemisphere competition, New Zealand will face South Africa in a warm-weather tour termed 'a unique competition'.

In the past the sport's top competitors, there is no question over who has recently got the better of what marketers have called 'The Ultimate Contest'.

In recent seasons, the South African team have secured a two of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a series against the home nations team to be regarded as the team of their generation.

New Zealand have continued to defeat Ireland when it matters most, overcoming Saturday's opponents in the global competition of recent years. They have, additionally, been defeated in just a pair of the recent encounters with England, have overcome the Welsh side in all matches since 1963 and have never suffered defeat by Scotland.

Changing Dynamics

But the loss of their position as the sport's measure of excellence will continue to rankle.

Whereas the New Zealand team dominated through the 2010s - securing eighty-seven percent of their fixtures, as well as winning the World Cup on two occasions - the global tournament of the previous competition can now be seen as when the competitive landscape moved in the international rugby.

New Zealand defeated the Springboks in their first game of the competition in the host nation, but it was the Boks' who were ultimately triumphant in the final.

Since then, the All Blacks' success rate has declined to seventy-one percent. South Africa themselves were defeated in 10 of their next 26 Test matches but, from the beginning of 2023, have achieved victory at a percentage (eighty-three percent) to match even the former Kiwi champions.

Recent Encounters

Throughout the equivalent timeframe, the 'Boks have secured victory in five of the seven meetings between the teams, featuring success in the latest global tournament decider.

While securing their latest regional title, the Springboks administered a historic loss on the All Blacks courtesy of overwhelming display in the capital, a score which has triggered another series of discussion about the development of the squad under the coach.

Perhaps most jarring for fans of the All Blacks will be that, alongside their characteristic physicality, the Springboks' success has come with an attacking verve more usually associated with their traditional rivals.

Style Evolution

At the time that the All Blacks were at the peak of their capabilities in previous eras, they were a devastating offensive machine able of dismantling opponents from any part of the pitch and at any moment of the game.

Today, their attacking style is more ambiguous as the coach, who has awarded 19 debuts during his two years in command, tries to first establish the more prosaic foundations of a competitive squad.

It has recently revealed that the assistant coach overseeing attack, the current coach, will leave his role after the upcoming matches, making him the second member of the coaching staff to exit after Leon MacDonald left last year after just a handful of games.

Expectations vs Reality

It was not just previous achievements, but his approach, that was predicted to translate from previous club when he took over after the recent tournament but, as yet, each are still a continuous improvement.

Business Factors

Following private equity firm Silver Lake bought a stake in All Blacks in 2022, the following communication discussed the "search of worldwide growth" for the brand.

That objective has possibly been harder by the absence of a global icon. Their key player and the group of family members continue to be household names in the sport, but the spread of stars has never been spread wider. The captain is the sole New Zealand player to earn international honors in the recent years, in opposition to 10 in multiple seasons between previous generations.

Global Expansion

Rather, initiatives have been undertaken to establish the New Zealand team into new territories.

The first leg of this European campaign brings the All Blacks not to Dublin but Chicago, a return to the stadium where the Irish team secured a landmark success in the fixture nine years ago.

After the reduction of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the All Blacks have also