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Aiming for what would be just a fifth 'Grand Slam' in their illustrious legacy, the All Blacks have traveled to Europe at an interesting juncture.

Games against the Irish team, Scotland, the English squad and the Welsh team await Scott Robertson's side across the coming month but, quite aside from the opportunity to match the teams of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the annals of rugby, the matches will be used as a benchmark to evaluate the progress of the team under a head coach now two years on from beginning his tenure.

Current Challenges

Concerns over a absence of an distinctive approach, enduring debates over selection and exits from the backroom staff have all fueled the feeling that the most famous squad in the game is currently one in a state of flux.

Most importantly, it is the drop in performances from a historic high watermark set between the global tournaments of the last decade that has led some to suggest that we have transitioned away of the era of All Black exceptionalism.

Past Performance

Prior to their travel for the European tour, it was confirmed that next year, in the absence of the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks will meet South Africa in a summer series termed 'a tour like no other'.

Traditionally the rugby's premier teams, there is little doubt over who has recently got the better of what promoters have called 'The Ultimate Contest'.

In recent seasons, the Springboks have secured a couple of global tournaments, three southern hemisphere titles and a competition against the British and Irish Lions to be considered as the team of their period.

The All Blacks have persisted to overcome the Irish team when it is crucial, overcoming their next challengers in the World Cup quarter finals of 2019 and '23. They have, at the same time, lost just two of the recent encounters with England, have defeated Wales in each game since the sixties and have remained unbeaten by Scotland.

Shifting Balance

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

Although the All Blacks excelled through the previous decade - winning 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 hierarchical structure shifted in the world sport.

New Zealand overcame the Springboks in their first game of the championship in the host nation, but it was the Boks' who were finally victorious in the final.

Since then, the All Blacks' victory ratio has fallen to 71%. The Springboks themselves lost 10 of their next 26 Test matches but, since the start of last year, have won at a rate (83%) to compete with even the previous All Blacks side.

Recent Encounters

Throughout the equivalent timeframe, the 'Boks have secured victory in the majority of the seven meetings between the teams, including triumph in the recent championship match.

During their pursuit of their most recent regional title, the Springboks administered a record 43-10 defeat on the New Zealand team through 36 unanswered second-half points in the capital, a outcome which has ignited another wave of controversy about the progress of the team under Robertson.

Maybe most jarring for followers of the New Zealand team will be that, allied to their usual power, South Africa's success has come with an creative approach more commonly connected with their traditional rivals.

Team Identity

During the period when the New Zealand team were at the zenith of their powers 10 years ago, they were a devastating offensive machine capable of dismantling competitors from any part of the pitch and at any point of the contest.

Currently, their offensive approach is less defined as Robertson, who has awarded 19 debuts during his 24 months in control, tries to initially build the more prosaic core elements of a competitive squad.

It has recently revealed that the backroom staff member responsible for offense, the current coach, will depart his position after the upcoming matches, making him the additional person of Robertson's ticket to leave after Leon MacDonald walked away last year after just limited matches.

Team Development

It was not only his winning record, but his approach, that was anticipated to transfer from his former team when he took over after the global competition but, as yet, the two aspects remain a work in progress.

Business Factors

Following private equity firm the company acquired shares in New Zealand rugby in 2022, the ensuing statement discussed the "pursuit of new global opportunities" for the team.

That goal has maybe been harder by the shortage of a global icon. Ardie Savea and the group of related players continue to be recognizable personalities in the sport, but the concentration of stars has become more diverse. Their leader is the sole New Zealand player to earn global recognition in the recent years, in comparison to 10 in 13 years between the mid-2000s.

International Growth

Instead, initiatives have been implemented to establish the All Blacks into previously untapped markets.

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 secured a first ever victory in the match during past tours.

Following the reduction of pandemic limitations, the All Blacks have additionally