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Seeking what would be just a fifth 'Grand Slam' in their illustrious legacy, the All Blacks have headed north at an pivotal moment.

Games against Ireland, the Scottish side, England and Wales await Scott Robertson's side across the upcoming weeks but, beyond the chance to match the sides of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the annals of rugby, the matches will be used as a benchmark to measure the development of the team under a head coach now two years on from taking up the reins.

Current Challenges

Questions over a absence of an identifiable style, continuing controversies over team picks and departures from the backroom staff have all contributed to the perception that the most famous squad in the rugby is now one in a period of transition.

Most importantly, it is the drop in results from a past excellence set between the global tournaments of the last decade that has prompted some to theorize that we have transitioned away of the period of Kiwi superiority.

Past Performance

Prior to their travel for the fall series, it was confirmed that in the coming year, in the absence of the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks will play South Africa in a warm-weather tour dubbed 'a unique competition'.

In the past the game's two strongest sides, there is no question over who has lately dominated of what promoters have labeled 'The Premier Rivalry'.

Over the past seven years, the South African team have claimed a two of global tournaments, three southern hemisphere titles and a series against the home nations team to be considered as the squad of their era.

New Zealand have maintained to beat the Irish team when it matters most, defeating Saturday's opponents in the World Cup quarter finals of 2019 and '23. They have, meanwhile, lost just a pair of the recent encounters with England, have defeated Wales in each game since the sixties and have remained unbeaten by the Scottish team.

Changing Dynamics

But the decline of their position as the rugby's benchmark will continue to rankle.

While the New Zealand team excelled through the 2010s - achieving eighty-seven percent of their international games, as well as winning the World Cup on two occasions - the global tournament of the previous competition can now be regarded as when the hierarchical structure shifted in the international rugby.

New Zealand overcame the Springboks in their initial fixture of the competition in the host nation, but it was the South Africans who were eventually successful in the final.

After that event, the New Zealand's victory ratio has dropped to 71%. South Africa themselves were defeated in 10 of their subsequent fixtures but, commencing of 2023, have won at a rate (eighty-three percent) to match even the last great New Zealand team.

Recent Encounters

During the same period, the Springboks have won five of the past fixtures between the teams, including triumph in the 2023 World Cup final.

While securing their most recent continental championship, the Springboks inflicted a significant beating on the All Blacks through overwhelming display in the capital, a outcome which has ignited another series of discussion concerning the development of the team under their leader.

Perhaps most troubling for supporters of the New Zealand team will be that, alongside their usual power, South Africa's achievement has come with an creative approach more usually associated with their traditional rivals.

Team Identity

When the New Zealand team were at the zenith of their abilities in previous eras, they were a devastating offensive machine able of destroying competitors from any part of the field and at all times of the contest.

Now, their attacking style is unclear as their leader, who has given multiple new players during his recent tenure in command, tries to initially build the more prosaic building blocks of a competitive squad.

It has previously announced that the backroom staff member responsible for offense, the current coach, will leave his role after the upcoming matches, becoming the next individual of management team to exit after previous staff member left last year after just limited matches.

Performance Gap

It was not merely Robertson's success, but his approach, that was anticipated to translate from his former team when he assumed control after the 2023 World Cup but, as yet, each remain a work in progress.

Business Factors

When investment group investors bought a stake in New Zealand rugby in 2022, the following communication spoke of the "pursuit of worldwide growth" for the team.

That objective has possibly been more challenging by the lack of a global icon. The current captain and the trio of Barrett brothers are still household names in the game, but the concentration of talented players has become more diverse. The captain is the sole New Zealand player to earn World Player of the Year in the recent years, in opposition to 10 in 13 years between 2005 and '07.

Global Expansion

Instead, attempts have been undertaken to introduce the All Blacks into emerging regions.

The initial stage of this European campaign brings the All Blacks not to the Irish capital but Chicago, a comeback to the location where Ireland obtained a landmark success in the fixture during past tours.

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