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Pursuing what would be just a fifth 'Grand Slam' in their illustrious legacy, the New Zealand side have headed north at an interesting juncture.

Fixtures against Ireland, the Scottish side, England and Wales await Scott Robertson's side across the coming month but, in addition to the opportunity to equal the squads of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the record books, the matches will be used as a benchmark to measure the development of the side under a head coach now 24 months into from taking up the reins.

Current Challenges

Questions over a lack of an clear playing identity, continuing controversies over player choices and exits from the management team have all fueled the feeling that the best-known side in the sport is now one in a state of flux.

Most importantly, it is the dip in outcomes from a past excellence set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has prompted some to suggest that we have evolved beyond of the era of New Zealand dominance.

Team Record

Prior to their travel for the northern hemisphere, it was announced that next year, in the non-existence of the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks will face the Springboks in a warm-weather tour called 'an unprecedented series'.

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

During the last decade, the South African team have won a pair of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a series against the British and Irish Lions to be viewed as the team of their era.

New Zealand have continued to overcome the Irish team when it is crucial, beating this weekend's rivals in the global competition of the past two tournaments. They have, meanwhile, been defeated in just a pair of the recent encounters with the English team, have defeated Wales in all matches since the sixties and have remained unbeaten by Scotland.

Evolving Landscape

But the loss of their status as the rugby's benchmark will continue to rankle.

Although the All Blacks reigned supreme through the last ten years - achieving 87% of their Test matches, as well as claiming the World Cup on two occasions - the global tournament of 2019 can now be seen as when the competitive landscape shifted in the international rugby.

New Zealand overcame the Springboks in their opening match of the competition in Japan, but it was the Boks' who were eventually successful in the final.

Since then, the All Blacks' success rate has fallen to 71%. South Africa themselves lost ten of their subsequent fixtures 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

Over the comparable duration, the Springboks have secured victory in five of the past fixtures between the sides, including success in the latest global tournament decider.

In claiming their current regional title, the Springboks inflicted a record 43-10 defeat on the All Blacks through dominant performance in Wellington, a outcome which has triggered another series of debate concerning the direction of the team under the coach.

Possibly most troubling for fans of the New Zealand team will be that, alongside their usual power, South Africa's success has come with an creative approach more typically linked with their traditional rivals.

Team Identity

At the time that the New Zealand team were at the peak of their capabilities in previous eras, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit able of shredding rivals from every section of the playing surface and at any moment of the match.

Currently, their playing philosophy is more ambiguous as Robertson, who has handed out multiple new players during his recent tenure in charge, tries to primarily create the more prosaic foundations of a successful side.

It has already been confirmed that the assistant coach in charge of attack, the current coach, will leave his role after the autumn tour, becoming the next individual of the coaching staff to depart after another coach walked away last year after just a handful of games.

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 recent tournament but, as yet, both continue to be a work in progress.

Business Factors

When financial organization the company bought a stake in New Zealand rugby in recent years, the subsequent announcement discussed the "pursuit of new global opportunities" for the organization.

That task has possibly been more difficult by the shortage of a crossover star. Ardie Savea and the collection of family members remain well-known figures in the game, but the spread of stars has never been spread wider. Their leader is the only All Black to receive World Player of the Year in the current era, in opposition to ten awards in multiple seasons between the mid-2000s.

Worldwide Reach

Rather, efforts have been implemented to establish the New Zealand team into previously untapped markets.

The first leg of this European campaign brings the All Blacks not to the Irish capital but the American city, a comeback to the stadium where Ireland obtained a first ever victory in the fixture during past tours.

After the easing of health protocols, the New Zealand team have additionally