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Aiming for what would be just a fifth 'Grand Slam' in their storied history, the All Blacks have embarked on their tour at an interesting juncture.

Fixtures against the Irish team, the Scottish side, England and Wales await the New Zealand team across the coming month but, in addition to the opportunity to match the sides of previous successful tours in the history books, the games will be used as a benchmark to assess the improvement of the team under a head coach now well established from assuming control.

Current Challenges

Doubts over a absence of an distinctive approach, continuing controversies over team picks and departures from the management team have all added to the feeling that the most famous squad in the game is now one in a state of flux.

Most importantly, it is the decline in outcomes from a previous peak set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has prompted some to speculate that we have transitioned away of the era of All Black exceptionalism.

Past Performance

Ahead of their travel for the northern hemisphere, it was confirmed that next year, in the lack of the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks will play the Springboks in a summer series called 'an unprecedented series'.

In the past the sport's top competitors, there is clear agreement over who has lately dominated of what organizers have called 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'.

In recent seasons, the Springboks have won a pair of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a competition against the home nations team to be regarded as the team of their period.

The All Blacks have maintained to defeat the Irish team when it counts most, defeating this weekend's rivals in the tournament knockout stages of 2019 and '23. They have, at the same time, lost just a pair of the recent encounters with the English team, have overcome the Welsh side in all matches since over sixty years ago and have always been victorious by the Scottish team.

Shifting Balance

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

While the New Zealand team excelled through the previous decade - winning 87% of their Test matches, as well as winning the global trophy on several instances - the global tournament of 2019 can now be viewed as when the hierarchical structure changed in the international rugby.

The All Blacks defeated South Africa in their initial fixture of the tournament in the host nation, but it was the Boks' who were eventually successful in the final.

From that point, the New Zealand's victory ratio has fallen to 71%. South Africa themselves were defeated in ten of their next 26 Test matches but, since the start of last year, have won at a percentage (83%) to compete with even the former Kiwi champions.

Recent Encounters

Throughout the same period, the 'Boks have won five of the recent encounters between the teams, featuring success in the latest global tournament decider.

During their pursuit of their current regional title, South Africa delivered a record 43-10 defeat on the All Blacks through overwhelming display in their home ground, a score which has sparked another series of debate about the progress of the side under the coach.

Maybe most troubling for followers of the All Blacks will be that, allied to their usual power, South Africa's triumph has come with an offensive flair more commonly connected with their own side.

Team Identity

During the period when the All Blacks were at the zenith of their abilities a decade past, they were a devastating offensive machine equipped of destroying opponents from every section of the playing surface and at all times of the match.

Currently, their offensive approach is unclear as Robertson, who has given 19 debuts during his recent tenure in command, tries to initially build the more prosaic core elements of a competitive squad.

It has previously announced that the backroom staff member in charge of scoring, Jason Holland, will leave his role after the upcoming matches, becoming the second member of management team to exit after Leon MacDonald departed last year after just five Tests.

Team Development

It was not only his winning record, but his methodology, that was anticipated to carry over from Crusaders when he took over after the recent tournament but, to date, both are still a continuous improvement.

Commercial Considerations

When private equity firm investors acquired shares in New Zealand rugby in 2022, the ensuing statement spoke of the "quest of new global opportunities" for the organization.

That goal has maybe been more challenging by the lack of a crossover star. The current captain and the trio of family members are still well-known figures in the game, but the concentration of talented players has expanded significantly. The captain is the sole New Zealand player to earn World Player of the Year in the current era, in contrast to ten awards in multiple seasons between 2005 and '07.

International Growth

Instead, efforts have been undertaken to establish the New Zealand team into new territories.

The opening phase of this 'Grand Slam' tour brings the All Blacks not to the Irish capital but Chicago, a revisit to the location where Ireland obtained a historic win in the match in previous seasons.

After the reduction of pandemic limitations, the New Zealand team have also