Can the All Blacks find their winning form in the upcoming matches?
Pursuing what would be just a fifth 'Grand Slam' in their illustrious legacy, the All Blacks have headed north at an crucial period.
Matches against the Irish team, the Scottish side, the English squad and Wales await the New Zealand team across the next four weekends but, quite aside from the possibility to join the squads of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the history books, the games will be used as a yardstick to evaluate the progress of the side under a head coach now well established from assuming control.
Current Challenges
Concerns over a lack of an distinctive approach, enduring debates over team picks and departures from the management team have all added to the perception that the most famous squad in the rugby is currently one in a time of change.
Most significantly, it is the dip in performances from a past excellence set between the global tournaments of the last decade that has prompted some to theorize that we have evolved beyond of the age of Kiwi superiority.
Team Record
Prior to their travel for the northern hemisphere, it was confirmed that next year, in the lack of the Rugby Championship, New Zealand will face the Springboks in a summer series called 'an unprecedented series'.
In the past the rugby's premier teams, there is no question over who has recently got the better of what promoters have labeled 'The Ultimate Contest'.
During the last decade, the Springboks have claimed a couple of World Cups, three Rugby Championships and a tour against the British and Irish Lions to be regarded as the team of their era.
The All Blacks have continued to defeat the Irish team when it counts most, overcoming this weekend's rivals in the World Cup quarter finals of 2019 and '23. They have, at the same time, lost just a couple of the past 21 meetings with the English team, have beaten Wales in each game since 1963 and have remained unbeaten by the Scottish team.
Evolving Landscape
But the loss of their position as the sport's measure of excellence will persist as an irritation.
Whereas the All Blacks dominated through the last ten years - achieving eighty-seven percent of their fixtures, as well as claiming the global trophy on multiple times - the global tournament of the previous competition can now be seen as when the hierarchical structure changed in the world sport.
The All Blacks beat South Africa in their opening match of the tournament in the host nation, but it was the Boks' who were finally victorious in the championship match.
Since then, the All Blacks' winning percentage has declined to 71%. The Springboks themselves were defeated in 10 of their next 26 Test matches but, from the beginning of last year, have won at a frequency (eighty-three percent) to match even the last great New Zealand team.
Recent Encounters
Throughout the equivalent timeframe, the Springboks have won five of the past fixtures between the teams, featuring victory in the latest global tournament decider.
In claiming their most recent regional title, Rassie Erasmus' side delivered a record 43-10 defeat on the All Blacks through overwhelming display in their home ground, a outcome which has triggered another round of debate about the direction of the team under Robertson.
Perhaps most troubling for followers of the All Blacks will be that, allied to their traditional strength, South Africa's triumph has come with an creative approach more usually associated with their traditional rivals.
Playing Philosophy
At the time that the New Zealand team were at the height of their abilities 10 years ago, they were a devastating offensive machine capable of dismantling competitors from any part of the playing surface and at any point of the contest.
Currently, their attacking style is more ambiguous as their leader, who has awarded multiple new players during his recent tenure in control, tries to primarily create the more prosaic building blocks of a winning team.
It has previously announced that the assistant coach responsible for attack, the current coach, will leave his role after the upcoming matches, becoming the additional person of Robertson's ticket to depart after another coach left last year after just five Tests.
Team Development
It was not only previous achievements, but his methodology, that was predicted to translate from Crusaders when he began his tenure after the global competition but, to date, both remain a continuous improvement.
Business Factors
When financial organization the company invested capital in All Blacks in recent years, the ensuing statement discussed the "pursuit of new global opportunities" for the team.
That goal has perhaps been harder by the absence of a global icon. Ardie Savea and the trio of Barrett brothers are still recognizable personalities in the sport, but the concentration of talented players has expanded significantly. Their leader is the only All Black to earn international honors in the recent years, in contrast to ten awards in multiple seasons between the mid-2000s.
Global Expansion
Instead, initiatives have been undertaken to transplant the New Zealand team into new territories.
The opening phase of this 'Grand Slam' tour brings the All Blacks not to the Irish capital but the American city, a revisit to the Soldier Field venue where the Irish team obtained a landmark success in the contest in previous seasons.
Following the reduction of health protocols, the New Zealand team have furthermore
