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Aiming for what would be just a fifth 'Grand Slam' in their storied history, the New Zealand side have headed north at an crucial period.

Games against the Irish team, the Scottish side, the English squad and Wales await the All Blacks across the coming month but, beyond the opportunity to join the squads of previous successful tours in the history books, the fixtures will be used as a yardstick to measure the progress of the squad under a manager now 24 months into 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 contributed to the feeling that the best-known side in the game is currently one in a time of change.

Most pertinently, it is the drop in outcomes from a historic high watermark set between the World Cups of the last decade that has prompted some to suggest that we have transitioned away of the period of All Black exceptionalism.

Recent History

Ahead of their journey for the European tour, it was announced that during the following season, in the lack of the Rugby Championship, New Zealand will play the Springboks in a off-season matches called 'an unprecedented series'.

Traditionally the rugby's premier teams, there is little doubt over who has lately dominated of what organizers have labeled 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'.

During the last decade, the Springboks have secured a couple of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a tour against the northern hemisphere selection to be considered as the side of their era.

New Zealand have persisted to defeat Ireland when it is crucial, beating their next challengers in the global competition of the past two tournaments. They have, at the same time, lost just a pair of the past 21 meetings with England, have beaten the Welsh side in all matches since over sixty years ago and have remained unbeaten by the Scottish team.

Shifting Balance

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

Although the New Zealand team dominated through the previous decade - winning 87% of their Test matches, as well as lifting the Webb Ellis on multiple times - the global tournament of the previous competition can now be regarded as when the competitive landscape shifted in the global game.

New Zealand beat South Africa in their opening match of the championship in Japan, but it was the South Africans who were eventually successful in Yokohama.

From that point, the New Zealand's winning percentage has declined to 71%. The Springboks themselves lost ten of their subsequent fixtures but, from the beginning of 2023, have won at a frequency (eighty-three percent) to rival even the previous All Blacks side.

Direct Competition

During the same period, the South African team have won five of the seven meetings between the teams, comprising victory in the 2023 World Cup final.

In claiming their current regional title, the Springboks delivered a significant beating on the All Blacks courtesy of dominant performance in their home ground, a result which has triggered another series of debate concerning the direction of the team under their leader.

Perhaps most jarring for fans of the All Blacks will be that, combined with their characteristic physicality, South Africa's achievement has come with an creative approach more usually associated with their traditional rivals.

Team Identity

At the time that the All Blacks were at the peak of their capabilities in previous eras, they were a devastating offensive machine capable of destroying competitors from all areas of the field and at any moment of the match.

Currently, their offensive approach is unclear as the coach, who has awarded multiple new players during his recent tenure in control, tries to primarily create the basic building blocks of a winning team.

It has previously announced that the backroom staff member responsible for offense, their offensive coordinator, will leave his role after the upcoming matches, making him the additional person of the coaching staff to leave after previous staff member left last year after just a handful of games.

Team Development

It was not just previous achievements, but his style, that was anticipated to transfer from his former team when he began his tenure after the recent tournament but, to date, both remain a work in progress.

Business Factors

When private equity firm Silver Lake bought a stake in New Zealand rugby in recent years, the ensuing statement discussed the "pursuit of international expansion" for the team.

That objective has possibly been more challenging by the lack of a international celebrity. Their key player and the collection of related players are still household names in the rugby, but the spread of talented players has expanded significantly. The captain is the only New Zealand player to win World Player of the Year in the past six seasons, in opposition to 10 in over a decade between 2005 and '07.

International Growth

Instead, attempts have been made to transplant the New Zealand team into emerging regions.

The first leg of this 'Grand Slam' tour brings the All Blacks not to the Irish capital but Chicago, a revisit to the Soldier Field venue where the Irish team obtained a historic win in the fixture in previous seasons.

Following the reduction of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the All Blacks have furthermore