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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 embarked on their tour at an crucial period.

Matches against Ireland, the Scottish side, England and Wales await Scott Robertson's side across the coming month but, beyond the opportunity to join the sides of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the annals of rugby, the matches will be used as a benchmark to assess the progress of the squad under a leader now 24 months into from taking up the reins.

Current Challenges

Questions over a lack of an identifiable style, continuing controversies over team picks and leavings from the backroom staff have all contributed to the perception that the most famous squad in the sport is now one in a state of flux.

Most significantly, it is the drop in outcomes from a past excellence set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has prompted some to theorize that we have evolved beyond of the age of Kiwi superiority.

Past Performance

Ahead of their travel for the European tour, it was announced that during the following season, in the lack of the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks will play South Africa in a summer series dubbed 'an unprecedented series'.

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

Over the past seven years, the Springboks have won a pair of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a series against the British and Irish Lions to be viewed as the team of their period.

New Zealand have continued to overcome the Irish team when it matters most, defeating Saturday's opponents in the tournament knockout stages of the past two tournaments. They have, additionally, lost just a pair of the last fixtures with the English team, have defeated Wales in all matches since over sixty years ago and have always been victorious by Scotland.

Evolving Landscape

But the diminishment of their standing as the rugby's benchmark will persist as an irritation.

Whereas the New Zealand team excelled through the 2010s - securing 87% of their fixtures, as well as claiming the global trophy on several instances - the World Cup of 2019 can now be viewed as when the competitive landscape moved in the international rugby.

New Zealand overcame South Africa in their opening match of the tournament in the host nation, but it was the Boks' who were finally victorious in Yokohama.

Since then, the New Zealand's victory ratio has fallen to seventy-one percent. The Springboks themselves lost 10 of their next 26 Test matches but, from the beginning of 2023, have won at a frequency (83%) to match even the last great New Zealand team.

Head-to-Head

During the equivalent timeframe, the Springboks have secured victory in five of the recent encounters between the teams, comprising victory in the latest global tournament decider.

While securing their latest southern hemisphere crown, South Africa inflicted a significant beating on the All Blacks courtesy of 36 unanswered second-half points in Wellington, a score which has sparked another series of discussion regarding the progress of the team under their leader.

Perhaps most jarring for followers of the New Zealand team will be that, alongside their traditional strength, South Africa's success has come with an creative approach more usually associated with their traditional rivals.

Team Identity

When the All Blacks were at the peak of their capabilities in previous eras, they were a clinical transition team capable of dismantling opponents from all areas of the pitch and at all times of the match.

Currently, their attacking style is unclear as Robertson, who has handed out numerous first caps during his two years in control, tries to initially build the fundamental foundations of a winning team.

It has already been confirmed that the backroom staff member overseeing offense, the current coach, will depart his position after the fall series, becoming the second member of management team to exit after another coach departed last year after just a handful of games.

Expectations vs Reality

It was not just Robertson's success, but his style, that was predicted to transfer from his former team when he took over after the 2023 World Cup but, to date, each continue to be a continuous improvement.

Commercial Considerations

After private equity firm investors bought a stake in New Zealand rugby in recent years, the following communication spoke of the "pursuit of international expansion" for the brand.

That goal has maybe been more challenging by the shortage of a crossover star. The current captain and the group of Barrett brothers are still household names in the sport, but the distribution of talented players has become more diverse. The captain is the single New Zealand player to win global recognition in the current era, in contrast to 10 in over a decade between 2005 and '07.

International Growth

Instead, initiatives have been made to transplant the All Blacks into emerging regions.

The opening phase of this northern hemisphere series brings New Zealand not to the Irish capital but Chicago, a revisit to the Soldier Field venue where the Irish team achieved a first ever victory in the match during past tours.

After the reduction of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the New Zealand team have additionally