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Pursuing what would be just a fifth tour victory in their storied history, the New Zealand side have embarked on their tour at an interesting juncture.

Games against the Irish team, the Scottish side, England and the Welsh team await Scott Robertson's side across the upcoming weeks but, quite aside from the possibility to join the squads of previous successful tours in the annals of rugby, the matches will be used as a benchmark to measure the improvement of the side under a leader now two years on from assuming control.

Present Difficulties

Concerns over a shortage of an identifiable style, ongoing discussions over selection and exits from the coaching ticket have all contributed to the perception that the most recognisable team in the rugby is presently one in a period of transition.

Most significantly, it is the dip 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 moved out of the period of All Black exceptionalism.

Team Record

Ahead of their travel for the European tour, it was revealed that next year, in the lack of the southern hemisphere competition, the All Blacks will meet the Springboks in a warm-weather tour termed 'a unique competition'.

In the past the sport's top competitors, there is clear agreement over who has currently outperformed of what marketers have labeled 'The Premier Rivalry'.

During the last decade, the Springboks have won a pair of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a series against the northern hemisphere selection to be regarded as the team of their period.

The All Blacks have continued to overcome the Irish team when it matters most, beating Saturday's opponents in the tournament knockout stages of the past two tournaments. They have, meanwhile, lost just a pair of the last fixtures with England, have beaten the Welsh side in every encounter since over sixty years ago and have remained unbeaten by Scotland.

Changing Dynamics

But the diminishment of their status as the sport's measure of excellence will continue to rankle.

While the All Blacks reigned supreme through the previous decade - securing eighty-seven percent of their fixtures, as well as lifting the Webb Ellis on several instances - the global tournament of 2019 can now be seen as when the competitive landscape changed in the global game.

New Zealand defeated South Africa in their opening match of the championship in the host nation, but it was the South Africans who were eventually successful in the final.

From that point, the New Zealand's winning percentage has dropped to seventy-one percent. South Africa themselves were defeated in ten of their following games but, since the start of 2023, have won at a frequency (83%) to compete with even the previous All Blacks side.

Direct Competition

Over the same period, the South African team have secured victory in the majority of the seven meetings between the opponents, including victory in the latest global tournament decider.

In claiming their latest continental championship, the Springboks inflicted a significant beating on the All Blacks thanks to dominant performance in the capital, a outcome which has sparked another wave of debate regarding the progress of the squad under their leader.

Perhaps most concerning for supporters of the New Zealand team will be that, alongside their usual power, the Springboks' achievement has come with an creative approach more usually associated with their opposition team.

Team Identity

At the time that the All Blacks were at the zenith of their capabilities a decade past, they were a clinical transition team able of dismantling rivals from any part of the field and at any point of the game.

Now, their playing philosophy is unclear as their leader, who has awarded 19 debuts during his 24 months in charge, tries to primarily create the more prosaic foundations of a winning team.

It has already been confirmed that the supporting manager responsible for offense, Jason Holland, will depart his position after the upcoming matches, becoming the next individual of Robertson's ticket to leave after Leon MacDonald left last year after just a handful of games.

Expectations vs Reality

It was not merely his winning record, but his approach, that was expected to transfer from previous club when he began his tenure after the recent tournament but, so far, the two aspects are still a work in progress.

Commercial Considerations

After investment group the company bought a stake in All Blacks in 2022, the subsequent announcement spoke of the "pursuit of international expansion" for the brand.

That goal has perhaps been harder by the lack of a global icon. Ardie Savea and the group of related players remain recognizable personalities in the game, but the distribution of stars has expanded significantly. Their leader is the sole New Zealand player to earn international honors in the past six seasons, in opposition to 10 in 13 years between the mid-2000s.

Global Expansion

Instead, attempts have been made to transplant the All Blacks into emerging regions.

The first leg of this European campaign brings New Zealand not to Dublin but the American city, a return to the location where the Irish team obtained a landmark success in the fixture during past tours.

After the easing of pandemic limitations, the New Zealand team have furthermore