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Seeking what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their storied history, the New Zealand side have headed north at an interesting juncture.

Matches against the Irish team, Scotland, the English squad and the Welsh team await Scott Robertson's side across the coming month but, quite aside from the opportunity to equal the squads of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the annals of rugby, the matches will be used as a yardstick to evaluate the improvement of the team under a manager now two years on from taking up the reins.

Team Issues

Questions over a lack of an distinctive approach, ongoing discussions over player choices and exits from the backroom staff have all fueled the feeling that the most famous squad in the sport is now one in a period of transition.

Most pertinently, it is the drop in outcomes from a historic high watermark set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has led some to theorize that we have evolved beyond of the age of All Black exceptionalism.

Past Performance

Ahead of their departure for the European tour, it was revealed that next year, in the non-existence of the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks will face the Springboks in a off-season matches dubbed 'a unique competition'.

Historically the rugby's premier teams, there is clear agreement over who has currently outperformed of what organizers have called 'The Ultimate Contest'.

In recent seasons, the Springboks have claimed a couple of World Cups, three Rugby Championships and a tour against the northern hemisphere selection to be viewed as the team of their period.

The All Blacks have maintained to defeat Ireland when it counts most, overcoming Saturday's opponents in the tournament knockout stages of the past two tournaments. They have, meanwhile, been defeated in just two of the past 21 meetings with the English team, have overcome Wales in all matches since the sixties and have remained unbeaten by the Scottish team.

Evolving Landscape

But the diminishment of their status as the sport's measure of excellence will persist as an irritation.

Although the New Zealand team excelled through the 2010s - securing eighty-seven percent of their Test matches, as well as lifting the World Cup on several instances - the global tournament of 2019 can now be seen as when the hierarchical structure changed in the world sport.

New Zealand overcame South Africa in their initial fixture of the tournament in Japan, but it was the Boks' who were finally victorious in Yokohama.

Since then, the All Blacks' success rate has dropped to seventy-one percent. The Springboks themselves lost 10 of their next 26 Test matches but, since the start of 2023, have achieved victory at a rate (83%) to compete with even the previous All Blacks side.

Head-to-Head

During the comparable duration, the Springboks have secured victory in the majority of the recent encounters between the teams, comprising victory in the latest global tournament decider.

While securing their most recent regional title, South Africa inflicted a significant beating on the All Blacks courtesy of dominant performance in their home ground, a score which has sparked another wave of discussion concerning the development of the squad under Robertson.

Perhaps most troubling for followers of the All Blacks will be that, allied to their characteristic physicality, South Africa's triumph has come with an attacking verve more usually associated with their opposition team.

Playing Philosophy

At the time that the All Blacks were at the peak of their abilities in previous eras, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit equipped of destroying competitors from all areas of the pitch and at any point of the contest.

Now, their attacking style is more ambiguous as the coach, who has handed out 19 debuts during his 24 months in control, tries to initially build the more prosaic foundations of a winning team.

It has recently revealed that the backroom staff member in charge of scoring, Jason Holland, will exit the team after the upcoming matches, becoming the second member of management team to leave after previous staff member departed last year after just limited matches.

Performance Gap

It was not only previous achievements, but his style, that was anticipated to translate from previous club when he assumed control after the global competition but, as yet, the two aspects are still a continuous improvement.

Commercial Considerations

After investment group the company bought a stake in New Zealand rugby in 2022, the subsequent announcement mentioned the "search of worldwide growth" for the organization.

That goal has maybe been more difficult by the shortage of a crossover star. The current captain and the trio of Barrett brothers remain recognizable personalities in the game, but the concentration of key individuals has never been spread wider. Their leader is the single New Zealand player to earn World Player of the Year in the recent years, in comparison to 10 in multiple seasons between previous generations.

Global Expansion

Alternatively, initiatives have been made to introduce the New Zealand team into previously untapped markets.

The first leg of this northern hemisphere series brings the All Blacks not to the Irish capital but Chicago, a comeback to the stadium where the Irish team achieved a first ever victory in the match during past tours.

Following the relaxation of pandemic limitations, the New Zealand team have also