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Pursuing what would be just a fifth tour victory in their legendary past, the All Blacks have headed north at an pivotal moment.

Matches against Ireland, the Scottish side, England and Wales await the All Blacks across the upcoming weeks but, quite aside from the possibility to equal the squads of previous successful tours in the history books, the fixtures will be used as a benchmark to measure the improvement of the team under a leader now well established from taking up the reins.

Current Challenges

Questions over a lack of an clear playing identity, continuing controversies over selection and exits from the backroom staff have all contributed to the feeling that the best-known side in the game is now one in a state of flux.

Most pertinently, it is the decline in performances from a past excellence set between the global tournaments of the last decade that has prompted some to suggest that we have moved out of the period of All Black exceptionalism.

Past Performance

Before their journey for the European tour, it was announced that in the coming year, in the absence of the southern hemisphere competition, the All Blacks will meet South Africa in a summer series termed 'a unique competition'.

In the past the game's two strongest sides, there is clear agreement over who has recently got the better of what marketers have labeled 'The Ultimate Contest'.

In recent seasons, the Springboks have won a couple of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a tour against the home nations team to be considered as the team of their era.

New Zealand have continued to beat Ireland when it is crucial, beating their next challengers in the tournament knockout stages of the past two tournaments. They have, additionally, been defeated in just a pair of the last fixtures with England, have overcome Wales in all matches since over sixty years ago and have remained unbeaten by the Scottish team.

Changing Dynamics

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

While the New Zealand team excelled through the 2010s - winning eighty-seven percent of their Test matches, as well as lifting the Webb Ellis on two occasions - the global tournament of the previous competition can now be viewed as when the hierarchical structure shifted in the international rugby.

New Zealand overcame South Africa in their first game of the competition in the host nation, but it was the Boks' who were eventually successful in the championship match.

Since then, the All Blacks' success rate has dropped to 71%. The Springboks themselves lost 10 of their subsequent fixtures but, commencing of last year, have won at a percentage (83%) to rival even the former Kiwi champions.

Head-to-Head

Over the equivalent timeframe, the Springboks have secured victory in five of the seven meetings between the teams, featuring success in the recent championship match.

During their pursuit of their current regional title, South Africa inflicted a record 43-10 defeat on the New Zealand team courtesy of overwhelming display in their home ground, a score which has triggered another series of controversy concerning the progress of the side under the coach.

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

Playing Philosophy

At the time that the New Zealand team were at the height of their capabilities 10 years ago, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit equipped of shredding rivals from all areas of the playing surface and at any moment of the match.

Currently, their offensive approach is less defined as the coach, who has given 19 debuts during his two years in command, tries to first establish the basic core elements of a competitive squad.

It has recently revealed that the supporting manager in charge of attack, the current coach, will depart his position after the autumn tour, becoming the second member of the coaching staff to exit after another coach walked away last year after just limited matches.

Expectations vs Reality

It was not just previous achievements, but his methodology, that was anticipated to translate from his former team when he took over after the 2023 World Cup but, so far, the two aspects remain a continuous improvement.

Organizational Strategy

After financial organization the company invested capital in New Zealand rugby in the past, the ensuing statement mentioned the "pursuit of international expansion" for the team.

That objective has possibly been more difficult by the shortage of a global icon. Ardie Savea and the group of family members remain well-known figures in the sport, but the distribution of talented players has become more diverse. The captain is the only All Black to earn global recognition in the current era, in contrast to ten awards in over a decade between the mid-2000s.

Global Expansion

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

The first leg of this northern hemisphere series brings the All Blacks not to Dublin but Chicago, a return to the Soldier Field venue where Ireland obtained a landmark success in the contest in previous seasons.

After the reduction of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the New Zealand team have additionally