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Pursuing what would be just a fifth tour victory in their legendary past, the All Blacks have traveled to Europe at an pivotal moment.

Games against the Irish team, the Scottish side, the English squad and the Welsh team await the New Zealand team across the next four weekends but, beyond the chance to match the teams of previous successful tours in the annals of rugby, the fixtures will be used as a yardstick to evaluate the development of the side under a leader now well established from taking up the reins.

Team Issues

Doubts over a absence of an identifiable style, continuing controversies over team picks and departures from the coaching ticket have all fueled the sense that the most recognisable team in the game is currently one in a period of transition.

Most importantly, it is the drop in performances from a historic high watermark set between the global tournaments of the last decade that has led some to theorize that we have moved out of the era of New Zealand dominance.

Team Record

Before their journey for the fall series, it was announced that during the following season, in the lack of the southern hemisphere competition, New Zealand will play the Springboks in a warm-weather tour dubbed 'a tour like no other'.

Traditionally the game's two strongest sides, there is clear agreement over who has lately dominated of what promoters have labeled 'Rugby's Greatest Rivalry'.

During the last decade, the South African team have secured a couple of global tournaments, three southern hemisphere titles and a tour against the home nations team to be considered as the side of their period.

New Zealand have persisted to defeat the Irish team when it matters most, overcoming this weekend's rivals in the tournament knockout stages of the past two tournaments. They have, additionally, been defeated in just a pair of the past 21 meetings with the English team, have defeated the Welsh side in all matches since 1963 and have always been victorious by Scotland.

Shifting Balance

But the loss of their standing as the sport's measure of excellence will continue to rankle.

While the New Zealand team dominated through the last ten years - achieving eighty-seven percent of their fixtures, as well as claiming the Webb Ellis on multiple times - the World Cup of 2019 can now be regarded as when the competitive landscape shifted in the global game.

The All Blacks defeated the Springboks in their first game of the tournament in the host nation, but it was the South Africans who were finally victorious in the final.

From that point, the New Zealand's winning percentage has fallen to seventy-one percent. South Africa themselves were defeated in 10 of their next 26 Test matches but, from the beginning of last year, have won at a rate (eighty-three percent) to match even the former Kiwi champions.

Head-to-Head

Throughout the same period, the 'Boks have secured victory in the majority of the seven meetings between the sides, comprising victory in the recent championship match.

While securing their latest southern hemisphere crown, South Africa administered a historic loss on the New Zealand team through overwhelming display in Wellington, a score which has sparked another round of controversy regarding the direction of the side under Robertson.

Maybe most troubling for fans of the All Blacks will be that, alongside their usual power, the Springboks' triumph has come with an creative approach more typically linked with their traditional rivals.

Style Evolution

During the period when the New Zealand team were at the peak of their abilities in previous eras, they were a ruthless counter-attacking unit capable of destroying rivals from every section of the pitch and at all times of the game.

Currently, their attacking style is more ambiguous as their leader, who has given 19 debuts during his two years in command, tries to initially build the more prosaic core elements of a winning team.

It has recently revealed that the supporting manager responsible for offense, their offensive coordinator, will depart his position after the autumn tour, making him the next individual of Robertson's ticket to exit after previous staff member walked away last year after just five Tests.

Performance Gap

It was not merely his winning record, but his style, that was anticipated to translate from his former team when he began his tenure after the recent tournament but, to date, the two aspects are still a continuous improvement.

Commercial Considerations

Following financial organization the company invested capital in New Zealand rugby in the past, the subsequent announcement spoke of the "quest of worldwide growth" for the team.

That goal has maybe been more difficult by the shortage of a global icon. The current captain and the trio of related players continue to be household names in the rugby, but the concentration of key individuals has expanded significantly. Their leader is the single New Zealand player to receive international honors in the recent years, in opposition to 10 in 13 years between the mid-2000s.

International Growth

Instead, attempts have been undertaken to establish the New Zealand team into new territories.

The first leg of this 'Grand Slam' tour brings New Zealand not to the Irish capital but Chicago, a return to the stadium where Ireland achieved a first ever victory in the match nine years ago.

After the reduction of health protocols, the New Zealand team have also