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Aiming for what would be just a fifth 'Grand Slam' in their legendary past, the New Zealand side have traveled to Europe at an crucial period.

Matches against Ireland, the Scottish side, the English squad and Wales await Scott Robertson's side across the coming month but, beyond the chance to match the sides of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the annals of rugby, the games will be used as a yardstick to measure the improvement of the side under a manager now 24 months into from taking up the reins.

Team Issues

Concerns over a lack of an clear playing identity, continuing controversies over selection and departures from the coaching ticket have all added to the sense that the most famous squad in the sport is currently one in a period of transition.

Most pertinently, it is the drop in results from a previous peak set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has prompted some to speculate that we have moved out of the period of Kiwi superiority.

Team Record

Before their travel for the European tour, it was announced that during the following season, in the absence of the southern hemisphere competition, New Zealand will play the Springboks in a summer series dubbed 'a tour like no other'.

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

Over the past seven years, the South African team have claimed a pair of World Cups, three southern hemisphere titles and a tour against the home nations team to be considered as the squad of their period.

The All Blacks have continued to overcome Ireland when it matters most, defeating their next challengers in the global competition of the past two tournaments. They have, additionally, lost just a pair of the last fixtures with the English team, have overcome Wales in each game since over sixty years ago and have always been victorious by the Scottish team.

Changing Dynamics

But the loss of their position as the game's gold standard will persist as an irritation.

While the All Blacks excelled through the 2010s - securing eighty-seven percent of their Test matches, as well as winning the Webb Ellis on two occasions - the World Cup of 2019 can now be seen as when the competitive landscape moved in the international rugby.

The All Blacks beat South Africa in their first game of the championship in Japan, but it was the South Africans who were ultimately triumphant in Yokohama.

Since then, the All Blacks' success rate has declined to 71%. South Africa themselves were defeated in 10 of their following games but, from the beginning of last year, have achieved victory at a rate (eighty-three percent) to match even the previous All Blacks side.

Head-to-Head

During the same period, the Springboks have won the majority of the past fixtures between the sides, comprising triumph in the 2023 World Cup final.

In claiming their latest southern hemisphere crown, South Africa delivered a record 43-10 defeat on the All Blacks thanks to dominant performance in the capital, a score which has ignited another wave of controversy about the development of the team under the coach.

Possibly most jarring for supporters of the All Blacks will be that, combined with their traditional strength, the Springboks' triumph has come with an offensive flair more commonly connected with their own side.

Style Evolution

During the period when the New Zealand team were at the zenith of their powers 10 years ago, they were a devastating offensive machine equipped of dismantling rivals from any part of the pitch and at all times of the match.

Currently, their attacking style is less defined as Robertson, who has given 19 debuts during his two years in control, tries to initially build the fundamental building blocks of a winning team.

It has previously announced that the supporting manager in charge of attack, their offensive coordinator, will exit the team after the upcoming matches, making him the second member of management team to leave after another coach departed last year after just a handful of games.

Team Development

It was not only his winning record, but his methodology, that was anticipated to carry over from Crusaders when he took over after the recent tournament but, as yet, both remain a continuous improvement.

Commercial Considerations

When financial organization investors acquired shares in All Blacks in the past, the following communication spoke of the "quest of worldwide growth" for the organization.

That objective has possibly been more challenging by the lack of a global icon. The current captain and the collection of related players are still household names in the sport, but the spread of talented players has never been spread wider. Their leader is the single All Black to win World Player of the Year in the current era, in contrast to ten awards in 13 years between 2005 and '07.

International Growth

Rather, efforts have been implemented to transplant the All Blacks into new territories.

The initial stage of this European campaign brings the All Blacks not to Dublin but the American city, a comeback to the Soldier Field venue where Ireland obtained a first ever victory in the fixture nine years ago.

Following the reduction of health protocols, the New Zealand team have additionally