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Aiming for what would be just a fifth tour victory in their storied history, the All Blacks have traveled to Europe at an crucial period.

Fixtures against the Irish team, the Scottish side, England and the Welsh team await the New Zealand team across the next four weekends but, quite aside from the opportunity to join the squads of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the annals of rugby, the matches will be used as a yardstick to evaluate the improvement of the team under a leader now two years on from beginning his tenure.

Present Difficulties

Questions over a lack of an distinctive approach, ongoing discussions over selection and departures from the coaching ticket have all contributed to the sense that the most recognisable team in the sport is currently one in a time of change.

Most significantly, it is the decline in results from a past excellence set between the global tournaments of the last decade that has led some to speculate that we have evolved beyond of the period of Kiwi superiority.

Team Record

Ahead of their departure for the fall series, it was announced that in the coming year, in the non-existence of the southern hemisphere competition, the All Blacks will meet the Springboks in a off-season matches dubbed 'a tour like no other'.

Traditionally the game's two strongest sides, there is little doubt over who has currently outperformed of what organizers have labeled 'The Premier Rivalry'.

Over the past seven years, the Springboks have won a couple of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a competition against the northern hemisphere selection to be regarded as the team of their period.

New Zealand have continued to beat the Irish team when it matters most, overcoming Saturday's opponents in the global competition of 2019 and '23. They have, additionally, been defeated in just two of the last fixtures with England, have overcome Wales in all matches since 1963 and have always been victorious by the Scottish team.

Changing Dynamics

But the loss of their position as the game's gold standard will remain frustrating.

While the All Blacks reigned supreme through the 2010s - winning eighty-seven percent of their fixtures, as well as claiming the Webb Ellis on two occasions - the World Cup of the previous competition can now be regarded as when the hierarchical structure changed in the world sport.

The All Blacks overcame the Springboks in their initial fixture of the competition in Japan, but it was the South Africans who were eventually successful in Yokohama.

After that event, the New Zealand's winning percentage has fallen to seventy-one percent. The Springboks themselves were defeated in 10 of their subsequent fixtures but, since the start of 2023, have won at a rate (83%) to match even the former Kiwi champions.

Recent Encounters

During the same period, the South African team have won five of the seven meetings between the opponents, including victory in the latest global tournament decider.

While securing their most recent southern hemisphere crown, South Africa delivered a record 43-10 defeat on the All Blacks courtesy of overwhelming display in the capital, a result which has triggered another round of discussion about the progress of the team under their leader.

Perhaps most jarring for fans of the New Zealand team will be that, allied to their characteristic physicality, South Africa's triumph has come with an attacking verve more commonly connected with their own side.

Playing Philosophy

During the period when the New Zealand team were at the peak of their powers in previous eras, they were a clinical transition team equipped of shredding rivals from any part of the pitch and at any moment of the match.

Now, their playing philosophy is more ambiguous as Robertson, who has handed out multiple new players during his recent tenure in command, tries to initially build the more prosaic building blocks of a competitive squad.

It has previously announced that the backroom staff member responsible for attack, the current coach, will leave his role after the autumn tour, making him the additional person of Robertson's ticket to exit after another coach departed last year after just limited matches.

Performance Gap

It was not merely his winning record, but his methodology, that was anticipated to transfer from previous club when he took over after the 2023 World Cup but, as yet, the two aspects continue to be a ongoing development.

Commercial Considerations

When financial organization investors bought a stake in All Blacks in recent years, the ensuing statement spoke of the "search of worldwide growth" for the brand.

That task has perhaps been more challenging by the lack of a global icon. Ardie Savea and the trio of related players are still recognizable personalities in the rugby, but the concentration of talented players has never been spread wider. Savea is the only New Zealand player to earn World Player of the Year in the past six seasons, in opposition to 10 in 13 years between the mid-2000s.

Worldwide Reach

Alternatively, attempts have been made to introduce the All Blacks into emerging regions.

The initial stage of this 'Grand Slam' tour brings New Zealand not to the Irish capital but Chicago, a return to the Soldier Field venue where the Irish team achieved a first ever victory in the match during past tours.

Following the relaxation of pandemic limitations, the All Blacks have also