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Seeking what would be just a fifth 'Grand Slam' in their storied history, the New Zealand side have traveled to Europe at an crucial period.

Games against Ireland, the Scottish side, England and the Welsh team await the New Zealand team across the next four weekends but, quite aside from the possibility to equal the teams of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the record books, the matches will be used as a benchmark to measure the progress of the side under a leader now well established from assuming control.

Current Challenges

Questions over a absence of an clear playing identity, ongoing discussions over selection and departures from the management team have all added to the feeling that the most recognisable team in the game is now one in a state of flux.

Most significantly, it is the decline in results from a historic high watermark set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has prompted some to speculate that we have transitioned away of the age of New Zealand dominance.

Recent History

Ahead of their journey for the fall series, it was announced that during the following season, in the absence of the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks will face South Africa in a warm-weather tour termed 'a tour like no other'.

In the past the game's two strongest sides, there is clear agreement over who has recently got the better of what marketers have called 'The Premier Rivalry'.

During the last decade, the Springboks have won a couple of global tournaments, three southern hemisphere titles and a competition against the British and Irish Lions to be viewed as the team of their period.

New Zealand have continued to overcome Ireland when it counts most, beating this weekend's rivals in the global competition of the past two tournaments. They have, meanwhile, lost just a couple of the recent encounters with England, have beaten the Welsh side in each game since 1963 and have never suffered defeat by the Scottish team.

Shifting Balance

But the diminishment of their position as the rugby's benchmark will remain frustrating.

Although the New Zealand team reigned supreme through the previous decade - winning 87% of their international games, as well as winning the Webb Ellis on several instances - the global tournament of 2019 can now be regarded as when the balance of power shifted in the world sport.

The All Blacks overcame the Springboks in their first game of the tournament in the host nation, but it was the South Africans who were eventually successful in the championship match.

From that point, the All Blacks' victory ratio has declined to seventy-one percent. South Africa themselves lost ten of their next 26 Test matches but, commencing of last year, have achieved victory at a frequency (eighty-three percent) to match even the former Kiwi champions.

Head-to-Head

During the equivalent timeframe, the South African team have secured victory in the majority of the recent encounters between the sides, featuring victory in the latest global tournament decider.

In claiming their most recent regional title, South Africa administered a historic loss on the All Blacks thanks to dominant performance in the capital, a outcome which has ignited another series of controversy about the development of the team under their leader.

Perhaps most troubling for fans of the New Zealand team will be that, combined with their usual power, South Africa's triumph has come with an offensive flair more usually associated with their traditional rivals.

Playing Philosophy

When the New Zealand team were at the zenith of their capabilities a decade past, they were a clinical transition team capable of shredding rivals from all areas of the playing surface and at all times of the match.

Currently, their attacking style is unclear as Robertson, who has handed out multiple new players during his 24 months in control, tries to first establish the fundamental building blocks of a successful side.

It has previously announced that the supporting manager in charge of offense, the current coach, will exit the team after the upcoming matches, making him the additional person of management team to leave after previous staff member departed last year after just a handful of games.

Performance Gap

It was not merely Robertson's success, but his style, that was expected to translate from previous club when he began his tenure after the recent tournament but, to date, the two aspects remain a work in progress.

Commercial Considerations

Following investment group the company acquired shares in All Blacks in the past, the following communication discussed the "search of new global opportunities" for the organization.

That task has possibly been more challenging by the lack of a global icon. Their key player and the group of family members are still recognizable personalities in the rugby, but the concentration of talented players has never been spread wider. Their leader is the sole New Zealand player to win global recognition in the past six seasons, in opposition to ten awards in multiple seasons between 2005 and '07.

International Growth

Alternatively, initiatives have been implemented to transplant the All Blacks into previously untapped markets.

The opening phase of this northern hemisphere series brings New Zealand not to Dublin but the American city, a comeback to the stadium where Ireland secured a first ever victory in the contest during past tours.

Since the relaxation of health protocols, the All Blacks have furthermore