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Aiming for what would be just a fifth northern hemisphere clean sweep in their legendary past, the New Zealand side have traveled to Europe at an pivotal moment.

Matches against Ireland, the Scottish side, the English squad and Wales await the New Zealand team across the next four weekends but, beyond the chance to equal the sides of previous successful tours in the annals of rugby, the fixtures will be used as a yardstick to evaluate the development of the team under a leader now two years on from taking up the reins.

Current Challenges

Concerns over a lack of an identifiable style, enduring debates over player choices and exits from the management team have all fueled the sense that the most recognisable team in the sport is currently one in a period of transition.

Most significantly, it is the drop in outcomes from a previous peak set between the global tournaments of the last decade that has led some to speculate that we have evolved beyond of the period of All Black exceptionalism.

Recent History

Ahead of their journey for the northern hemisphere, it was confirmed that in the coming year, in the non-existence of the Rugby Championship, the All Blacks will play South Africa 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 organizers have called 'The Ultimate Contest'.

Over the past seven years, the South African team have claimed a two of global tournaments, three Rugby Championships and a tour against the home nations team to be viewed as the team of their era.

The All Blacks have persisted to beat Ireland when it matters most, beating this weekend's rivals in the World Cup quarter finals of recent years. They have, additionally, lost just a pair of the recent encounters with the English team, have defeated Wales in every encounter since 1963 and have always been victorious by Scotland.

Shifting Balance

But the diminishment of their status as the game's gold standard will persist as an irritation.

While the All Blacks excelled through the previous decade - achieving 87% of their Test matches, as well as winning the World Cup on two occasions - the global tournament of 2019 can now be viewed as when the competitive landscape changed in the international rugby.

New Zealand defeated South Africa in their initial fixture of the championship in Japan, but it was the South Africans who were ultimately triumphant in the championship match.

After that event, the All Blacks' success rate has declined to seventy-one percent. South Africa themselves lost ten of their following games but, from the beginning of last year, have won at a frequency (83%) to match even the previous All Blacks side.

Recent Encounters

Over the comparable duration, the 'Boks have won five of the past fixtures between the teams, comprising triumph in the latest global tournament decider.

In claiming their latest regional title, the Springboks inflicted a significant beating on the New Zealand team courtesy of 36 unanswered second-half points in Wellington, a result which has sparked another series of discussion about the development of the team under their leader.

Possibly most jarring for fans of the All Blacks will be that, allied to their usual power, South Africa's achievement has come with an offensive flair more commonly connected with their own side.

Style Evolution

When the All Blacks were at the zenith of their powers 10 years ago, they were a devastating offensive machine equipped of dismantling opponents from every section of the playing surface and at any point of the contest.

Now, their attacking style is unclear as Robertson, who has handed out numerous first caps during his two years in control, tries to first establish the more prosaic foundations of a winning team.

It has previously announced that the assistant coach overseeing scoring, their offensive coordinator, will exit the team after the autumn tour, becoming the second member of management team to depart after another coach left last year after just limited matches.

Expectations vs Reality

It was not only previous achievements, but his style, that was anticipated to carry over from his former team when he assumed control after the recent tournament but, to date, both are still a work in progress.

Commercial Considerations

When financial organization Silver Lake acquired shares in All Blacks in recent years, the subsequent announcement discussed the "quest of worldwide growth" for the organization.

That objective has possibly been harder by the lack of a international celebrity. Ardie Savea and the collection of Barrett brothers remain well-known figures in the rugby, but the distribution of talented players has expanded significantly. Their leader is the only All Black to earn World Player of the Year in the recent years, in contrast to ten awards in over a decade between 2005 and '07.

International Growth

Instead, attempts have been made to introduce the New Zealand team into new territories.

The first leg of this European campaign brings the All Blacks not to the Irish capital but the American city, a comeback to the stadium where Ireland achieved a landmark success in the match in previous seasons.

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