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Pursuing what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their storied history, the All Blacks have embarked on their tour at an interesting juncture.

Games against the Irish team, Scotland, the English squad and the Welsh team await the All Blacks across the upcoming weeks but, in addition to the opportunity to match the sides of previous successful tours in the record books, the fixtures will be used as a measure to evaluate the improvement of the team under a head coach now well established from taking up the reins.

Team Issues

Concerns over a lack of an distinctive approach, continuing controversies over team picks and leavings from the management team have all contributed to the feeling that the most famous squad in the game is currently one in a period of transition.

Most pertinently, it is the decline in performances from a past excellence set between the global tournaments of 2011 and 2019 that has prompted some to theorize that we have evolved beyond of the period of New Zealand dominance.

Recent History

Before their departure for the northern hemisphere, it was announced that next year, in the lack of the southern hemisphere competition, the All Blacks will meet the Springboks in a summer series called 'a unique competition'.

In the past the sport's top competitors, there is little doubt over who has recently got the better of what marketers have labeled 'The Premier Rivalry'.

In recent seasons, the South African team have secured a pair of World Cups, three southern hemisphere titles and a series against the British and Irish Lions to be regarded as the squad of their era.

The All Blacks have continued to beat the Irish team when it counts most, beating their next challengers in the World Cup quarter finals of the past two tournaments. They have, meanwhile, been defeated in just a couple of the last fixtures with England, have overcome Wales in every encounter since over sixty years ago and have always been victorious by Scotland.

Evolving Landscape

But the loss of their status as the game's gold standard will continue to rankle.

While the New Zealand team reigned supreme through the last ten years - securing 87% of their international games, as well as lifting the Webb Ellis on several instances - the global tournament of the previous competition can now be regarded as when the balance of power shifted in the world sport.

New Zealand overcame South Africa in their first game of the championship in the host nation, but it was the Boks' who were ultimately triumphant in Yokohama.

From that point, the New Zealand's winning percentage has dropped to 71%. The Springboks themselves lost ten of their subsequent fixtures but, since the start of last year, have achieved victory at a rate (eighty-three percent) to rival even the previous All Blacks side.

Head-to-Head

Over the comparable duration, the South African team have won five of the past fixtures between the opponents, including victory in the recent championship match.

In claiming their latest southern hemisphere crown, Rassie Erasmus' side administered a significant beating on the New Zealand team thanks to dominant performance in their home ground, a outcome which has sparked another wave of controversy about the development of the team under their leader.

Maybe most concerning for followers of the All Blacks will be that, combined with their usual power, the Springboks' success has come with an creative approach more usually associated with their own side.

Team Identity

When the All Blacks were at the zenith of their abilities 10 years ago, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit able of destroying opponents from any part of the playing surface and at any moment of the contest.

Now, their playing philosophy is more ambiguous as the coach, who has given 19 debuts during his 24 months in charge, tries to primarily create the basic foundations of a winning team.

It has already been confirmed that the assistant coach responsible for scoring, the current coach, will exit the team after the fall series, making him the second member of management team to depart after previous staff member departed last year after just five Tests.

Expectations vs Reality

It was not merely Robertson's success, but his methodology, that was predicted to transfer from his former team when he took over after the recent tournament but, so far, each continue to be a continuous improvement.

Organizational Strategy

When private equity firm Silver Lake invested capital in New Zealand rugby in the past, the subsequent announcement spoke of the "pursuit of international expansion" for the brand.

That objective has maybe been harder by the lack of a international celebrity. The current captain and the collection of family members remain household names in the game, but the distribution of talented players has never been spread wider. The captain is the only New Zealand player to earn international honors in the past six seasons, in comparison to 10 in over a decade between 2005 and '07.

International Growth

Rather, attempts have been undertaken to transplant the All Blacks into emerging regions.

The first leg of this northern hemisphere series brings the All Blacks not to the Irish capital but Chicago, a comeback to the location where Ireland achieved a landmark success in the fixture during past tours.

Since the easing of health protocols, the New Zealand team have additionally