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Aiming for what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their illustrious legacy, the New Zealand side have traveled to Europe at an crucial period.

Matches against the Irish team, Scotland, the English squad and the Welsh team await the All Blacks across the upcoming weeks but, quite aside from the opportunity to match the squads of 1978, 2005, 2008 and 2010 in the record books, the fixtures will be used as a measure to evaluate the progress of the squad under a leader now well established from taking up the reins.

Current Challenges

Doubts over a shortage of an distinctive approach, continuing controversies over team picks and leavings from the backroom staff have all added to the sense that the most recognisable team in the game is currently one in a time of change.

Most importantly, it is the drop in results from a previous peak set between the World Cups of 2011 and 2019 that has caused some to suggest that we have transitioned away of the age of Kiwi superiority.

Past Performance

Prior to their journey for the European tour, it was confirmed that next year, in the lack of the southern hemisphere competition, the All Blacks will play the Springboks in a warm-weather tour called 'a unique competition'.

In the past the sport's top competitors, there is no question over who has currently outperformed of what marketers have called 'The Premier Rivalry'.

Over the past seven years, the South African team have claimed a two of World Cups, three Rugby Championships and a tour against the British and Irish Lions to be viewed as the squad of their era.

The All Blacks have continued to overcome Ireland when it counts most, overcoming this weekend's rivals in the World Cup quarter finals of the past two tournaments. They have, meanwhile, been defeated in just two of the last fixtures with the English team, have defeated Wales in each game since 1963 and have never suffered defeat by the Scottish team.

Changing Dynamics

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

Whereas the New Zealand team excelled through the last ten years - achieving eighty-seven percent of their international games, as well as winning the global trophy on two occasions - the global tournament of the previous competition can now be seen as when the hierarchical structure moved in the world sport.

New Zealand beat South Africa in their initial fixture of the tournament in Japan, but it was the Boks' who were finally victorious in the final.

Since then, the New Zealand's success rate has dropped to 71%. The Springboks themselves lost ten of their subsequent fixtures but, from the beginning of 2023, have won at a frequency (83%) to match even the previous All Blacks side.

Head-to-Head

During the comparable duration, the 'Boks have secured victory in the majority of the seven meetings between the teams, comprising victory in the recent championship match.

During their pursuit of their current continental championship, South Africa administered a historic loss on the New Zealand team thanks to 36 unanswered second-half points in the capital, a outcome which has ignited another series of discussion concerning the progress of the team under their leader.

Perhaps most troubling for fans of the New Zealand team will be that, allied to their traditional strength, South Africa's achievement has come with an attacking verve more commonly connected with their opposition team.

Team Identity

During the period when the All Blacks were at the peak of their capabilities 10 years ago, they were a devastating offensive machine able of shredding rivals from all areas of the playing surface and at any moment of the game.

Currently, their offensive approach is more ambiguous as the coach, who has handed out multiple new players during his two years in command, tries to primarily create the more prosaic core elements of a winning team.

It has previously announced that the supporting manager responsible for scoring, their offensive coordinator, will leave his role after the autumn tour, making him the second member of management team to depart after previous staff member walked away last year after just limited matches.

Team Development

It was not only previous achievements, but his methodology, that was predicted to translate from his former team when he took over after the recent tournament but, to date, the two aspects remain a ongoing development.

Organizational Strategy

Following investment group the company acquired shares in New Zealand rugby in 2022, the following communication mentioned the "pursuit of worldwide growth" for the organization.

That objective has maybe been more challenging by the lack of a crossover star. The current captain and the trio of family members are still recognizable personalities in the sport, but the distribution of talented players has become more diverse. The captain is the single All Black to earn World Player of the Year in the past six seasons, in comparison to 10 in multiple seasons between the mid-2000s.

Worldwide Reach

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

The first leg of this European campaign brings New Zealand not to Dublin but the American city, a revisit to the Soldier Field venue where Ireland obtained a landmark success in the match in previous seasons.

After the reduction of Covid-19 travel restrictions, the New Zealand team have furthermore