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

Fixtures against Ireland, the Scottish side, the English squad and Wales await Scott Robertson's side across the next four weekends but, beyond the possibility to match the sides of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the annals of rugby, the matches will be used as a benchmark to measure the improvement of the team under a head coach now well established from taking up the reins.

Present Difficulties

Questions over a lack of an distinctive approach, enduring debates over player choices and leavings from the coaching ticket have all fueled the sense that the most famous squad in the rugby is currently one in a period of transition.

Most significantly, it is the drop in results from a past excellence set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has prompted some to speculate that we have moved out of the age of Kiwi superiority.

Team Record

Ahead of their journey for the fall series, it was revealed that next year, in the absence of the southern hemisphere competition, the All Blacks will face South Africa in a summer series termed 'an unprecedented series'.

Historically the rugby's premier teams, there is little doubt over who has recently got the better of what marketers have described 'The Premier Rivalry'.

During the last decade, the South African team have claimed a two of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a series against the northern hemisphere selection to be considered as the side of their era.

The All Blacks have persisted to overcome Ireland when it counts most, defeating their next challengers in the tournament knockout stages of recent years. They have, additionally, lost just a pair of the last fixtures with England, have beaten Wales in all matches since 1963 and have never suffered defeat by the Scottish team.

Evolving Landscape

But the diminishment of their standing as the rugby's benchmark will continue to rankle.

Although the All Blacks excelled through the last ten years - achieving eighty-seven percent of their Test matches, as well as lifting the Webb Ellis on two occasions - the World Cup of the previous competition can now be viewed as when the competitive landscape moved in the world sport.

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

After that event, the New Zealand's winning percentage has dropped to 71%. South Africa themselves lost ten of their next 26 Test matches but, commencing of last year, have achieved victory at a frequency (eighty-three percent) to compete with even the previous All Blacks side.

Head-to-Head

Over the same period, the 'Boks have secured victory in the majority of the past fixtures between the teams, featuring triumph in the 2023 World Cup final.

In claiming their most recent regional title, the Springboks inflicted a historic loss on the New Zealand team courtesy of dominant performance in the capital, a outcome which has ignited another series of discussion about the progress of the squad under the coach.

Maybe most troubling for fans of the All Blacks will be that, allied to their usual power, the Springboks' achievement has come with an offensive flair more usually associated with their traditional rivals.

Style Evolution

When the All Blacks were at the zenith of their abilities a decade past, they were a clinical transition team capable of dismantling opponents from every section of the pitch and at any moment of the contest.

Today, their attacking style is more ambiguous as their leader, who has awarded multiple new players during his two years in control, tries to primarily create the fundamental core elements of a successful side.

It has previously announced that the assistant coach overseeing attack, the current coach, will depart his position after the fall series, making him the additional person of management team to depart after another coach departed last year after just a handful of games.

Team Development

It was not just his winning record, but his style, that was anticipated to translate from Crusaders when he assumed control after the 2023 World Cup but, to date, the two aspects continue to be a ongoing development.

Organizational Strategy

When investment group Silver Lake acquired shares in New Zealand rugby in 2022, the following communication mentioned the "quest of new global opportunities" for the organization.

That goal has perhaps been harder by the lack of a international celebrity. Their key player and the collection of related players continue to be recognizable personalities in the game, but the distribution of stars has expanded significantly. The captain is the single All Black to win global recognition in the recent years, in contrast to 10 in 13 years between the mid-2000s.

Worldwide Reach

Alternatively, initiatives have been made to introduce the New Zealand team into emerging regions.

The initial stage of this northern hemisphere series brings New Zealand not to Dublin but Chicago, a comeback to the Soldier Field venue where the Irish team secured a landmark success in the contest during past tours.

After the relaxation of health protocols, the All Blacks have also