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Aiming for what would be just a fifth 'Grand Slam' in their legendary past, the All Blacks have traveled to Europe at an crucial period.

Matches against the Irish team, Scotland, England and Wales await the New Zealand team across the coming month but, quite aside from the possibility to match the squads of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the history books, the fixtures will be used as a yardstick to evaluate the progress of the squad under a leader now two years on from beginning his tenure.

Team Issues

Concerns over a absence of an identifiable style, enduring debates over selection and departures from the coaching ticket have all added to the sense that the most famous squad in the rugby is presently one in a state of flux.

Most pertinently, it is the drop in performances from a historic high watermark set between the World Cups of the last decade that has led some to suggest that we have transitioned away of the era of Kiwi superiority.

Recent History

Ahead of their journey for the European tour, it was announced that during the following season, in the absence of the Rugby Championship, New Zealand will play South Africa in a summer series called 'a unique competition'.

In the past the sport's top competitors, there is little doubt over who has recently got the better of what organizers have described 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'.

In recent seasons, the Springboks have claimed a two of World Cups, three southern hemisphere titles and a series against the northern hemisphere selection to be viewed as the squad of their era.

The All Blacks have maintained to defeat the Irish team when it counts most, overcoming this weekend's rivals in the World Cup quarter finals of the past two tournaments. They have, meanwhile, lost just two of the recent encounters with England, have defeated the Welsh side in each game since the sixties and have remained unbeaten by the Scottish team.

Shifting Balance

But the loss of their standing as the game's gold standard will persist as an irritation.

While the New Zealand team reigned supreme through the previous decade - securing 87% of their international games, as well as winning the World Cup on multiple times - the World Cup of 2019 can now be seen as when the balance of power changed in the international rugby.

New Zealand beat the Springboks in their initial fixture of the championship in the host nation, but it was the South Africans who were ultimately triumphant in the championship match.

From that point, the New Zealand's winning percentage has dropped to 71%. South Africa themselves were defeated in ten of their subsequent fixtures but, since the start of 2023, have achieved victory at a frequency (83%) to match even the last great New Zealand team.

Direct Competition

Throughout the same period, the 'Boks have secured victory in the majority of the past fixtures between the opponents, including success in the recent championship match.

While securing their current southern hemisphere crown, South Africa administered a record 43-10 defeat on the New Zealand team through overwhelming display in Wellington, a outcome which has triggered another series of controversy about the development of the squad under their leader.

Possibly most jarring for fans of the New Zealand team will be that, allied to their usual power, the Springboks' success has come with an offensive flair more commonly connected with their traditional rivals.

Team Identity

During the period when the New Zealand team were at the peak of their powers in previous eras, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit able of dismantling opponents from any part of the pitch and at all times of the game.

Today, their attacking style is less defined as Robertson, who has given multiple new players during his 24 months in charge, tries to first establish the more prosaic building blocks of a competitive squad.

It has previously announced that the supporting manager overseeing scoring, their offensive coordinator, will depart his position after the fall series, becoming the additional person of the coaching staff to depart after previous staff member walked away last year after just a handful of games.

Team Development

It was not merely his winning record, but his approach, that was expected to carry over from his former team when he assumed control after the recent tournament but, to date, both continue to be a work in progress.

Commercial Considerations

When private equity firm the company invested capital in All Blacks in 2022, the ensuing statement mentioned the "pursuit of worldwide growth" for the brand.

That objective has perhaps been more difficult by the lack of a international celebrity. Ardie Savea and the collection of Barrett brothers continue to be well-known figures in the sport, but the distribution of stars has never been spread wider. The captain is the single New Zealand player to earn global recognition in the current era, in contrast to 10 in 13 years between previous generations.

Global Expansion

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

The initial stage of this European campaign brings New Zealand not to Dublin but Chicago, a revisit to the stadium where the Irish team secured a historic win in the contest in previous seasons.

Since the relaxation of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the All Blacks have also