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Aiming for what would be just a fifth tour victory in their storied history, the All Blacks have embarked on their tour at an interesting juncture.

Fixtures against Ireland, the Scottish side, the English squad and the Welsh team await the New Zealand team across the next four weekends but, quite aside from the chance to equal the sides of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the annals of rugby, the fixtures will be used as a yardstick to measure the improvement of the side under a leader now well established from taking up the reins.

Team Issues

Questions over a absence of an identifiable style, enduring debates over player choices and exits from the coaching ticket have all added to the sense that the most famous squad in the sport is currently one in a time of change.

Most pertinently, it is the drop in performances from a previous peak set between the global tournaments of the last decade that has caused some to theorize that we have evolved beyond of the age of Kiwi superiority.

Past Performance

Before their departure for the European tour, it was confirmed that next year, in the lack of the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks will meet South Africa in a off-season matches called 'a unique competition'.

Traditionally the sport's top competitors, there is little doubt over who has currently outperformed of what marketers have labeled 'The Premier Rivalry'.

Over the past seven years, the Springboks have claimed a two of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a competition against the home nations team to be regarded as the team of their period.

The All Blacks have continued to defeat the Irish team when it matters most, defeating their next challengers in the global competition of 2019 and '23. They have, meanwhile, lost just two of the last fixtures with the English team, have defeated Wales in every encounter since 1963 and have never suffered defeat by Scotland.

Changing Dynamics

But the decline of their status as the sport's measure of excellence will remain frustrating.

Whereas the New Zealand team excelled through the last ten years - securing eighty-seven percent of their fixtures, as well as lifting the Webb Ellis on multiple times - the global tournament of 2019 can now be seen as when the competitive landscape moved in the world sport.

The All Blacks beat the Springboks in their initial fixture of the championship in Japan, but it was the South Africans who were eventually successful in the final.

After that event, the New Zealand's victory ratio has dropped to seventy-one percent. South Africa themselves lost 10 of their subsequent fixtures but, commencing of 2023, have won at a percentage (83%) to match even the previous All Blacks side.

Recent Encounters

Over the equivalent timeframe, the South African team have secured victory in the majority of the past fixtures between the opponents, featuring triumph in the 2023 World Cup final.

During their pursuit of their most recent continental championship, South Africa administered a record 43-10 defeat on the New Zealand team through 36 unanswered second-half points in their home ground, a outcome which has triggered another series of debate regarding the direction of the team under their leader.

Perhaps most troubling for fans of the All Blacks will be that, combined with their traditional strength, South Africa's achievement has come with an attacking verve more commonly connected with their opposition team.

Playing Philosophy

When the All Blacks were at the zenith of their capabilities in previous eras, they were a devastating offensive machine equipped of destroying opponents from any part of the field and at all times of the contest.

Currently, their offensive approach is more ambiguous as the coach, who has awarded 19 debuts during his two years in charge, tries to first establish the fundamental building blocks of a winning team.

It has already been confirmed that the supporting manager overseeing attack, their offensive coordinator, will leave his role after the fall series, making him the additional person of management team to depart after previous staff member left last year after just five Tests.

Performance Gap

It was not only his winning record, but his style, that was predicted to translate from Crusaders when he took over after the global competition but, as yet, each are still a ongoing development.

Business Factors

Following investment group Silver Lake acquired shares in New Zealand rugby in 2022, the ensuing statement spoke of the "quest of new global opportunities" for the brand.

That objective has perhaps been more challenging by the shortage of a international celebrity. The current captain and the collection of family members continue to be household names in the rugby, but the spread of stars has never been spread wider. The captain is the single New Zealand player to win global recognition in the recent years, in contrast to ten awards in over a decade between 2005 and '07.

International Growth

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

The initial stage of this 'Grand Slam' tour brings New Zealand not to Dublin but the American city, a revisit to the location where Ireland secured a historic win in the match in previous seasons.

After the relaxation of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the All Blacks have also