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Aiming for what would be just a fifth tour victory in their legendary past, the New Zealand side have traveled to Europe at an pivotal moment.

Games against the Irish team, the Scottish side, England and Wales await Scott Robertson's side across the coming month but, quite aside from the possibility to equal the sides of previous successful tours in the record books, the games will be used as a benchmark to measure the improvement of the squad under a manager now two years on from taking up the reins.

Current Challenges

Doubts over a shortage of an distinctive approach, continuing controversies over team picks and leavings from the backroom staff have all contributed to the sense that the best-known side in the game is currently one in a state of flux.

Most pertinently, it is the drop in results from a historic high watermark set between the World Cups of the last decade that has led some to speculate that we have moved out of the era of All Black exceptionalism.

Recent History

Before their departure for the fall series, it was announced that during the following season, in the absence of the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks will play the Springboks in a off-season matches called 'a unique competition'.

Traditionally the sport's top competitors, there is no question over who has currently outperformed of what promoters have labeled 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'.

Over the past seven years, the Springboks have won a couple of World Cups, three Rugby Championships and a competition against the northern hemisphere selection to be considered as the side of their generation.

New Zealand have continued to defeat Ireland when it matters most, overcoming Saturday's opponents in the World Cup quarter finals of recent years. They have, meanwhile, lost just a couple of the recent encounters with England, have defeated Wales in every encounter since 1963 and have never suffered defeat by the Scottish team.

Changing Dynamics

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

While the All Blacks reigned supreme through the last ten years - securing eighty-seven percent of their fixtures, as well as winning the Webb Ellis on several instances - the World Cup of the previous competition can now be seen as when the competitive landscape changed in the global game.

New Zealand beat the Springboks in their first game of the championship in Japan, but it was the Boks' who were finally victorious in Yokohama.

Since then, the New Zealand's victory ratio has fallen to seventy-one percent. South Africa themselves lost ten of their following games but, commencing of last year, have won at a frequency (83%) to compete with even the former Kiwi champions.

Direct Competition

Over the comparable duration, the Springboks have won the majority of the seven meetings between the sides, including triumph in the 2023 World Cup final.

In claiming their latest continental championship, the Springboks inflicted a historic loss on the All Blacks thanks to overwhelming display in the capital, a result which has triggered another wave of debate concerning the progress of the side under Robertson.

Perhaps most jarring for supporters of the All Blacks will be that, combined with their usual power, South Africa's triumph has come with an creative approach more typically linked with their opposition team.

Playing Philosophy

During the period when the New Zealand team were at the height of their powers in previous eras, they were a devastating offensive machine able of dismantling rivals from all areas of the field and at all times of the game.

Now, their playing philosophy is more ambiguous as the coach, who has awarded numerous first caps during his 24 months in charge, tries to primarily create the basic building blocks of a winning team.

It has recently revealed that the backroom staff member in charge of attack, the current coach, will exit the team after the fall series, making him the additional person of Robertson's ticket to leave after another coach walked away last year after just five Tests.

Performance Gap

It was not just Robertson's success, but his approach, that was predicted to transfer from previous club when he assumed control after the global competition but, to date, both remain a continuous improvement.

Business Factors

After financial organization the company bought a stake in New Zealand rugby in the past, the subsequent announcement mentioned the "pursuit of international expansion" for the organization.

That goal has maybe been more difficult by the absence of a international celebrity. Ardie Savea and the group of Barrett brothers remain well-known figures in the game, but the distribution of talented players has expanded significantly. Their leader is the single All Black to earn international honors in the recent years, in contrast to 10 in multiple seasons between the mid-2000s.

International Growth

Rather, efforts have been made to introduce the All Blacks into previously untapped markets.

The first leg of this European campaign brings the All Blacks not to the Irish capital but Chicago, a return to the Soldier Field venue where Ireland secured a first ever victory in the match during past tours.

Since the easing of pandemic limitations, the New Zealand team have also