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Pursuing what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their illustrious legacy, the All Blacks have traveled to Europe at an pivotal moment.

Fixtures against the Irish team, the Scottish side, England and the Welsh team await the New Zealand team across the next four weekends but, in addition to the chance to equal the sides of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the record books, the matches will be used as a benchmark to measure the development of the side under a manager now 24 months into from taking up the reins.

Present Difficulties

Concerns over a absence of an identifiable style, ongoing discussions over team picks and departures from the management team have all contributed to the sense that the best-known side in the game is presently one in a period of transition.

Most pertinently, it is the decline in performances from a previous peak set between the World Cups of the last decade that has caused some to speculate that we have evolved beyond of the period of New Zealand dominance.

Recent History

Before their journey for the European tour, it was announced that during the following season, in the non-existence of the southern hemisphere competition, New Zealand will play the Springboks in a summer series called 'a tour like no other'.

In the past the rugby's premier teams, there is no question over who has currently outperformed of what promoters have called 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'.

During the last decade, the South African team have won a two of World Cups, three southern hemisphere titles and a series against the British and Irish Lions to be viewed as the squad of their generation.

New Zealand have continued to overcome Ireland when it counts most, beating their next challengers in the global competition of the past two tournaments. They have, meanwhile, been defeated in just two of the recent encounters with the English team, have defeated the Welsh side in each game since 1963 and have never suffered defeat by Scotland.

Evolving Landscape

But the decline of their standing as the rugby's benchmark will remain frustrating.

While the New Zealand team excelled through the 2010s - winning eighty-seven percent of their Test matches, as well as winning the Webb Ellis on two occasions - the World Cup of 2019 can now be regarded as when the hierarchical structure moved in the global game.

New Zealand beat South Africa in their initial fixture of the competition in Japan, but it was the Boks' who were ultimately triumphant in the championship match.

Since then, the New Zealand's success rate has fallen to seventy-one percent. The Springboks themselves were defeated in 10 of their subsequent fixtures but, since the start of 2023, have won at a frequency (eighty-three percent) to match even the previous All Blacks side.

Recent Encounters

Over the same period, the South African team have won the majority of the recent encounters between the sides, including success in the 2023 World Cup final.

In claiming their most recent regional title, the Springboks inflicted a significant beating on the New Zealand team through overwhelming display in their home ground, a outcome which has triggered another round of discussion regarding the direction of the side under their leader.

Perhaps most troubling for supporters of the All Blacks will be that, combined with their usual power, South Africa's achievement has come with an creative approach more usually associated with their opposition team.

Team Identity

During the period when the All Blacks were at the height of their powers in previous eras, they were a clinical transition team able of destroying opponents from all areas of the playing surface and at any point of the match.

Currently, their playing philosophy is more ambiguous as Robertson, who has given 19 debuts during his two years in command, tries to first establish the basic foundations of a successful side.

It has already been confirmed that the supporting manager overseeing attack, the current coach, will depart his position after the upcoming matches, making him the second member of the coaching staff to exit after another coach walked away last year after just a handful of games.

Performance Gap

It was not merely his winning record, but his approach, that was anticipated to transfer from previous club when he took over after the recent tournament but, as yet, each remain a work in progress.

Organizational Strategy

Following private equity firm the company invested capital in All Blacks in the past, the subsequent announcement discussed the "quest of new global opportunities" for the brand.

That objective has perhaps been more challenging by the absence of a international celebrity. The current captain and the collection of Barrett brothers are still household names in the sport, but the spread of key individuals has never been spread wider. Their leader is the only All Black to win World Player of the Year in the current era, in comparison to ten awards in 13 years between 2005 and '07.

Worldwide Reach

Instead, initiatives have been made to transplant the All Blacks into new territories.

The opening phase of this northern hemisphere series brings the All Blacks not to Dublin but the American city, a return to the location where the Irish team achieved a landmark success in the match nine years ago.

Following the relaxation of health protocols, the New Zealand team have also