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Pursuing what would be just a fifth 'Grand Slam' in their illustrious legacy, the New Zealand side have headed north at an interesting juncture.

Fixtures against Ireland, Scotland, the English squad and Wales await Scott Robertson's side across the upcoming weeks but, beyond the opportunity to equal the squads of previous successful tours in the record books, the games will be used as a yardstick to evaluate the development of the squad under a manager now two years on from assuming control.

Team Issues

Doubts over a absence of an clear playing identity, ongoing discussions over team picks and exits from the coaching ticket have all fueled the feeling that the most recognisable team in the game is currently one in a time of change.

Most pertinently, it is the decline in outcomes from a past excellence set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has led some to theorize that we have evolved beyond of the era of Kiwi superiority.

Past Performance

Prior to their journey for the European tour, it was announced that next year, in the absence of the Rugby Championship, New Zealand will meet the Springboks in a summer series dubbed 'a unique competition'.

In the past the rugby's premier teams, there is clear agreement over who has recently got the better of what promoters have called 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'.

Over the past seven years, the South African team have secured a pair of global tournaments, three southern hemisphere titles and a series against the northern hemisphere selection to be considered as the team of their generation.

The All Blacks have continued to overcome Ireland when it counts most, overcoming Saturday's opponents in the World Cup quarter finals of 2019 and '23. They have, at the same time, lost just a pair of the recent encounters with the English team, have defeated the Welsh side in each game since 1963 and have remained unbeaten by Scotland.

Evolving Landscape

But the loss of their standing as the game's gold standard will continue to rankle.

Whereas the New Zealand team dominated through the previous decade - securing 87% of their Test matches, as well as lifting the Webb Ellis on several instances - the World Cup of the previous competition can now be regarded as when the hierarchical structure moved in the world sport.

New Zealand defeated South Africa in their first game of the championship in Japan, but it was the South Africans who were ultimately triumphant in the championship match.

From that point, the All Blacks' winning percentage has fallen to seventy-one percent. The Springboks themselves were defeated in 10 of their next 26 Test matches but, since the start of last year, have achieved victory at a frequency (83%) to rival even the former Kiwi champions.

Recent Encounters

Throughout the same period, the Springboks have won the majority of the recent encounters between the sides, featuring victory in the 2023 World Cup final.

In claiming their latest southern hemisphere crown, the Springboks administered a significant beating on the New Zealand team through 36 unanswered second-half points in Wellington, a result which has ignited another round of controversy regarding the direction of the side under Robertson.

Perhaps most jarring for supporters of the New Zealand team will be that, allied to their characteristic physicality, 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 height of their powers in previous eras, they were a clinical transition team able of destroying competitors from any part of the field and at any moment of the game.

Currently, their offensive approach is more ambiguous as the coach, who has given multiple new players during his two years in control, tries to initially build the fundamental building blocks of a competitive squad.

It has already been confirmed that the assistant coach overseeing offense, their offensive coordinator, will depart his position after the upcoming matches, becoming the additional person of the coaching staff to depart after another coach walked away last year after just limited matches.

Performance Gap

It was not just his winning record, but his methodology, that was expected to carry over from Crusaders when he took over after the 2023 World Cup but, as yet, the two aspects remain a work in progress.

Business Factors

When investment group investors acquired shares in All Blacks in recent years, the ensuing statement mentioned the "search of worldwide growth" for the brand.

That task has possibly been harder by the lack of a international celebrity. Their key player and the collection of family members remain recognizable personalities in the rugby, but the distribution of stars has expanded significantly. Their leader is the sole New Zealand player to earn international honors in the current era, in comparison to 10 in over a decade between the mid-2000s.

Worldwide Reach

Alternatively, efforts have been undertaken to introduce the New Zealand team into previously untapped markets.

The first leg of this northern hemisphere series brings New Zealand not to the Irish capital but the American city, a comeback to the Soldier Field venue where the Irish team secured a historic win in the contest in previous seasons.

Since the reduction of pandemic limitations, the All Blacks have furthermore