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Aiming for what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their storied history, the New Zealand side have traveled to Europe at an interesting juncture.

Games against the Irish team, Scotland, the English squad and Wales await Scott Robertson's side across the upcoming weeks but, beyond the opportunity to match the squads of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the record books, the fixtures will be used as a benchmark to measure the progress of the team under a leader now well established from assuming control.

Present Difficulties

Concerns over a lack of an identifiable style, ongoing discussions over player choices and exits from the coaching ticket have all fueled the sense that the most recognisable team in the game is now one in a time of change.

Most significantly, it is the dip in results from a previous peak set between the global tournaments of the last decade that has prompted some to theorize that we have moved out of the period of New Zealand dominance.

Team Record

Ahead of their journey for the northern hemisphere, it was revealed that next year, in the non-existence of the southern hemisphere competition, the All Blacks will play the Springboks in a off-season matches termed 'a tour like no other'.

Historically the sport's top competitors, there is no question over who has recently got the better of what organizers have called 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'.

Over the past seven years, the South African team have won a pair of World Cups, three Rugby Championships and a competition against the northern hemisphere selection to be regarded as the squad of their period.

The All Blacks have continued to defeat Ireland when it is crucial, beating Saturday's opponents in the World Cup quarter finals of the past two tournaments. They have, additionally, lost just a couple of the recent encounters with the English team, have defeated Wales in each game since over sixty years ago and have remained unbeaten by the Scottish team.

Shifting Balance

But the loss of their status as the sport's measure of excellence will persist as an irritation.

While the All Blacks reigned supreme through the 2010s - securing eighty-seven percent of their international games, as well as lifting the global trophy on multiple times - the global tournament of 2019 can now be viewed as when the competitive landscape changed in the global game.

New Zealand defeated the Springboks in their first game of the competition in Japan, but it was the South Africans who were eventually successful in the championship match.

After that event, the New Zealand's success rate has dropped to seventy-one percent. South Africa themselves were defeated in ten of their subsequent fixtures but, from the beginning of last year, have achieved victory at a rate (eighty-three percent) to match even the previous All Blacks side.

Direct Competition

Over the comparable duration, the 'Boks have won the majority of the seven meetings between the teams, comprising victory in the latest global tournament decider.

In claiming their current continental championship, the Springboks inflicted a historic loss on the All Blacks courtesy of dominant performance in the capital, a score which has ignited another series of debate concerning the development of the side under Robertson.

Possibly most troubling for fans of the New Zealand team will be that, allied to their characteristic physicality, the Springboks' achievement has come with an creative approach more usually associated with their own side.

Style Evolution

When the All Blacks were at the height of their abilities in previous eras, they were a devastating offensive machine able of dismantling rivals from any part of the pitch and at any point of the match.

Now, their playing philosophy is less defined as their leader, who has awarded multiple new players during his recent tenure in command, tries to initially build the basic foundations of a successful side.

It has recently revealed that the assistant coach overseeing offense, their offensive coordinator, will leave his role after the fall series, making him the next individual of Robertson's ticket to depart after previous staff member departed last year after just limited matches.

Performance Gap

It was not just his winning record, but his methodology, that was anticipated to carry over from previous club when he began his tenure after the global competition but, to date, the two aspects are still a ongoing development.

Organizational Strategy

Following financial organization investors invested capital in All Blacks in the past, the subsequent announcement spoke of the "quest of international expansion" for the organization.

That task has possibly been harder by the lack of a global icon. Ardie Savea and the group of related players are still well-known figures in the rugby, but the concentration of stars has expanded significantly. The captain is the only New Zealand player to win global recognition in the current era, in opposition to ten awards in multiple seasons between 2005 and '07.

Global Expansion

Instead, attempts have been undertaken to introduce the All Blacks into emerging regions.

The first leg of this northern hemisphere series brings New Zealand not to Dublin but Chicago, a comeback to the Soldier Field venue where Ireland obtained a landmark success in the fixture nine years ago.

Following the relaxation of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the All Blacks have additionally