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Pursuing what would be just a fifth tour victory in their illustrious legacy, the All Blacks have headed north at an crucial period.

Fixtures against the Irish team, Scotland, the English squad and the Welsh team await Scott Robertson's side across the coming month but, in addition to the chance to match the sides of previous successful tours in the history books, the matches will be used as a yardstick to evaluate the improvement of the side under a manager now two years on from taking up the reins.

Current Challenges

Doubts over a shortage of an distinctive approach, ongoing discussions over team picks and leavings from the management team have all fueled the feeling that the best-known side in the rugby is now one in a state of flux.

Most importantly, it is the drop in results from a previous peak set between the World Cups of the last decade that has led some to theorize that we have moved out of the age of Kiwi superiority.

Recent History

Before their journey for the European tour, it was announced that next year, in the non-existence of the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks will face South Africa in a summer series dubbed 'an unprecedented series'.

In the past the game's two strongest sides, there is no question over who has recently got the better of what promoters have called 'The Premier Rivalry'.

Over the past seven years, the South African team have secured a couple of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a competition against the British and Irish Lions to be considered as the team of their era.

The All Blacks have persisted to defeat Ireland when it is crucial, overcoming this weekend's rivals in the global competition of recent years. They have, additionally, lost just a pair of the recent encounters with England, have overcome the Welsh side in all matches since 1963 and have remained unbeaten by the Scottish team.

Shifting Balance

But the diminishment of their status as the rugby's benchmark will persist as an irritation.

Whereas the All Blacks reigned supreme through the last ten years - winning 87% of their Test matches, as well as winning the global trophy on two occasions - the World Cup of 2019 can now be regarded as when the balance of power changed in the world sport.

The All Blacks defeated the Springboks in their first game of the competition in the host nation, but it was the South Africans who were ultimately triumphant in the championship match.

Since then, the New Zealand's victory ratio has fallen to seventy-one percent. The Springboks themselves lost ten of their subsequent fixtures but, since the start of last year, have won at a frequency (eighty-three percent) to rival even the former Kiwi champions.

Recent Encounters

Throughout the same period, the 'Boks have won the majority of the seven meetings between the sides, including victory in the recent championship match.

In claiming their current regional title, Rassie Erasmus' side delivered a record 43-10 defeat on the New Zealand team thanks to dominant performance in their home ground, a score which has triggered another series of debate about the progress of the team under the coach.

Maybe most jarring for fans of the New Zealand team will be that, alongside their usual power, South Africa's triumph has come with an creative approach more typically linked with their opposition team.

Style Evolution

At the time that the New Zealand team were at the peak of their capabilities in previous eras, they were a devastating offensive machine equipped of shredding competitors from any part of the playing surface and at any point of the contest.

Now, their offensive approach is unclear as Robertson, who has given numerous first caps during his recent tenure in command, tries to initially build the fundamental foundations of a winning team.

It has recently revealed that the backroom staff member overseeing scoring, Jason Holland, will exit the team after the upcoming matches, making him the additional person of the coaching staff to depart after another coach walked away last year after just five Tests.

Performance Gap

It was not merely previous achievements, but his style, that was anticipated to translate from his former team when he began his tenure after the global competition but, so far, the two aspects remain a work in progress.

Business Factors

When investment group Silver Lake bought a stake in New Zealand rugby in recent years, the following communication discussed the "search of new global opportunities" for the team.

That objective has possibly been more difficult by the shortage of a international celebrity. Their key player and the group of Barrett brothers remain well-known figures in the rugby, but the distribution of stars has never been spread wider. The captain is the only All Black to receive international honors in the past six seasons, in contrast to ten awards in 13 years between previous generations.

Global Expansion

Instead, initiatives have been implemented to transplant the New Zealand team into previously untapped markets.

The first leg of this northern hemisphere series brings New Zealand not to Dublin but the American city, a comeback to the location where Ireland secured a historic win in the match during past tours.

After the easing of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the New Zealand team have furthermore