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Seeking what would be just a fifth 'Grand Slam' in their illustrious legacy, the All Blacks have embarked on their tour at an pivotal moment.

Matches against the Irish team, Scotland, the English squad and Wales await the New Zealand team across the next four weekends but, quite aside from the possibility to match the sides of previous successful tours in the history books, the fixtures will be used as a measure to assess the development of the team under a head coach now 24 months into from beginning his tenure.

Current Challenges

Questions over a shortage of an clear playing identity, ongoing discussions over team picks and leavings from the backroom staff have all fueled the feeling that the most recognisable team in the game is now 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 2011 and 2019 that has caused some to speculate that we have moved out of the era of All Black exceptionalism.

Team Record

Prior to their journey for the northern hemisphere, it was confirmed that in the coming year, in the absence of the southern hemisphere competition, New Zealand will play South Africa in a warm-weather tour dubbed 'a unique competition'.

Traditionally the game's two strongest sides, there is no question over who has recently got the better of what promoters have called 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'.

In recent seasons, the South African team have secured a two of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a tour against the British and Irish Lions to be considered as the squad of their period.

New Zealand have persisted to beat the Irish team when it counts most, beating this weekend's rivals in the tournament knockout stages of recent years. They have, at the same time, lost just two of the last fixtures with England, have defeated the Welsh side in every encounter since 1963 and have never suffered defeat by the Scottish team.

Evolving Landscape

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

Although the All Blacks dominated through the previous decade - winning 87% of their international games, as well as lifting the Webb Ellis on multiple times - the global tournament of 2019 can now be regarded as when the balance of power changed in the global game.

The All Blacks defeated South Africa in their opening match of the championship in Japan, but it was the South Africans who were finally victorious in the final.

Since then, the New Zealand's winning percentage has fallen to 71%. South Africa themselves were defeated in ten of their next 26 Test matches but, since the start of last year, have achieved victory at a frequency (eighty-three percent) to match even the previous All Blacks side.

Recent Encounters

During the same period, the Springboks have secured victory in five of the seven meetings between the teams, including triumph in the recent championship match.

In claiming their current regional title, the Springboks delivered a significant beating on the New Zealand team through 36 unanswered second-half points in the capital, a outcome which has ignited another series of discussion concerning the progress of the team under Robertson.

Perhaps most jarring for followers of the New Zealand team will be that, allied to their characteristic physicality, South Africa's achievement has come with an attacking verve more usually associated with their opposition team.

Style Evolution

At the time that the New Zealand team were at the height of their powers in previous eras, they were a clinical transition team capable of dismantling opponents from all areas of the field and at all times of the game.

Today, their offensive approach is more ambiguous as their leader, who has given numerous first caps during his recent tenure in control, tries to initially build the more prosaic core elements of a successful side.

It has recently revealed that the backroom staff member responsible for scoring, their offensive coordinator, will exit the team after the autumn tour, making him the additional person of Robertson's ticket to leave after previous staff member left last year after just a handful of games.

Team Development

It was not only his winning record, but his style, that was expected to translate from his former team when he took over after the recent tournament but, as yet, both are still a continuous improvement.

Business Factors

Following financial organization the company invested capital in New Zealand rugby in recent years, the following communication mentioned the "pursuit of new global opportunities" for the brand.

That task has perhaps been more challenging by the lack of a global icon. The current captain and the group of family members remain household names in the sport, but the distribution of talented players has never been spread wider. Their leader is the only New Zealand player to win global recognition in the current era, in contrast to 10 in multiple seasons between the mid-2000s.

Worldwide Reach

Alternatively, efforts have been undertaken to transplant the New Zealand team into emerging regions.

The opening phase of this 'Grand Slam' tour brings the All Blacks not to Dublin but the American city, a comeback to the Soldier Field venue where the Irish team achieved a landmark success in the contest during past tours.

Since the reduction of health protocols, the All Blacks have also