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

Fixtures against the Irish team, Scotland, England and the Welsh team await Scott Robertson's side across the coming month but, quite aside from the chance to join the sides of previous successful tours in the record books, the fixtures will be used as a benchmark to assess the progress of the side under a leader now 24 months into from taking up the reins.

Current Challenges

Questions over a shortage of an identifiable style, ongoing discussions over player choices and exits from the coaching ticket have all contributed to the perception that the most famous squad in the rugby is presently one in a time of change.

Most importantly, it is the decline in outcomes from a past excellence set between the global tournaments of the last decade that has led some to theorize that we have transitioned away of the period of All Black exceptionalism.

Team Record

Ahead of their travel for the northern hemisphere, it was confirmed that in the coming year, in the absence of the Rugby Championship, New Zealand will face the Springboks in a warm-weather tour dubbed 'a unique competition'.

Historically the game's two strongest sides, there is little doubt over who has lately dominated of what organizers have labeled 'The Premier Rivalry'.

Over the past seven years, the Springboks have claimed a couple of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a tour against the home nations team to be regarded as the squad of their era.

The All Blacks have maintained to overcome the Irish team when it matters most, overcoming this weekend's rivals in the tournament knockout stages of 2019 and '23. They have, additionally, been defeated in just two of the past 21 meetings with the English team, have overcome the Welsh side in each game since over sixty years ago and have remained unbeaten by the Scottish team.

Changing Dynamics

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

Although the New Zealand team reigned supreme through the last ten years - winning eighty-seven percent of their fixtures, as well as winning the Webb Ellis on two occasions - the global tournament of the previous competition can now be viewed as when the competitive landscape moved in the world sport.

The All Blacks beat South Africa in their first game of the tournament in Japan, but it was the South Africans who were eventually successful in the final.

Since then, the New Zealand's winning percentage has fallen to 71%. South Africa themselves were defeated in ten of their next 26 Test matches but, from the beginning of last year, have won at a rate (83%) to match even the former Kiwi champions.

Direct Competition

Over the same period, the Springboks have won five of the past fixtures between the opponents, including victory in the recent championship match.

While securing their current southern hemisphere crown, Rassie Erasmus' side administered a record 43-10 defeat on the All Blacks thanks to dominant performance in their home ground, a score which has triggered another series of discussion about the direction of the side under the coach.

Possibly most concerning for supporters of the All Blacks will be that, allied to their usual power, South Africa's triumph has come with an creative approach more commonly connected with their traditional rivals.

Style Evolution

At the time that the New Zealand team were at the peak of their abilities 10 years ago, they were a clinical transition team able of destroying opponents from every section of the field and at all times of the contest.

Now, their attacking style is less defined as Robertson, who has handed out multiple new players during his two years in charge, tries to first establish the basic building blocks of a successful side.

It has already been confirmed that the backroom staff member overseeing attack, Jason Holland, will leave his role after the upcoming matches, becoming the second member of management team to leave after previous staff member walked away last year after just limited matches.

Expectations vs Reality

It was not only Robertson's success, but his approach, that was expected to translate from Crusaders when he began his tenure after the 2023 World Cup but, so far, each continue to be a work in progress.

Commercial Considerations

Following financial organization investors bought a stake in New Zealand rugby in recent years, the ensuing statement spoke of the "quest of new global opportunities" for the organization.

That goal has perhaps been harder by the lack of a global icon. The current captain and the collection of related players are still well-known figures in the game, but the concentration of talented players has never been spread wider. The captain is the only New Zealand player to receive World Player of the Year in the current era, in comparison to ten awards in 13 years between the mid-2000s.

International Growth

Rather, initiatives have been implemented to establish the All Blacks into previously untapped markets.

The first leg of this 'Grand Slam' tour brings New Zealand not to the Irish capital but the American city, a revisit to the location where the Irish team achieved a historic win in the contest during past tours.

Following the reduction of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the New Zealand team have furthermore