There have only been two successful Grand Slam tours in All Blacks history but the latest All Blacks side to leave these shores may make it three. Rugby writer Steve Hepburn looks at the next four weeks and whether a Grand Slam in 2008 is an achievement like it was 30 years ago.
If anything, it is probably the calendar that the All Blacks have to thank for the chance to try for a second Grand Slam in three years. The window of playing internationals in the northern winter is in November.
And with five Saturdays in November, this month presents a perfect opportunity to play a Grand Slam.
The New Zealand domestic season ends near the end of October and with the commitments of playing Australia in Hong Kong, it would have been too much of a squeeze to play all four Home Unions in any normal November.
Originally the match against England, now to be played on November 29, was not on the All Blacks' agenda.
But the bean counters got involved, and with Twickenham capable of holding more than 80,000 rugby fans, the New Zealand Rugby Union could not turn down a chance of playing a match where it could gather some revenue.
So the English have been added and potentially they could be the toughest of the lot.
England plays the Pacific Islanders, then the other two Sanzar countries before facing the All Blacks, so it should be match-hardened.
Before that match the All Blacks kick off their tour against Scotland, the Irish follow, with a game against Munster in the week between the Irish match and the test against Wales.
It is a shame there are not more midweek matches but such is the way of the modern game.
The playing calendar in the United Kingdom is just as crowded as the one in the southern hemisphere, so not many clubs want to play the All Blacks in a match where there is nothing but pride at stake.
On the 1963 Grand Slam tour, the All Blacks played 13 matches against regional, club and district sides leading up to the first test match against Ireland.
In 1905, the Originals played 19 games before playing the first international against Scotland. But 103 years later, no warm-up games are allowed.
That begs the question, why do coaches and others say the players need time together after matches?Would not playing more matches be the answer?Former Scotland captain Gavin Hastings has come out and said this will not be a true Grand Slam as there are no midweek matches.
Hastings is right in that regard but lengthy tours went out with elastic garters and oranges at half-time.
And the only midweek match to mark 30 years since Munster beat the All Blacks has been devalued as all Irish test players are unavailable.
As for the action on the field, in all reality the shortness of the tour and the size of the All Blacks playing squad will make it hard for any new player to break into the top team.
It is going to be the tried and tested who win, or lose, the games.
Scotland should be easily disposed of, while Ireland appears to have dropped from its peak of 18 months to two years ago. Plus these two sides have never beaten the All Blacks and may not have the mental capacity to get into the win column.
Wales won the Six Nations but factions have been squabbling among themselves and it has not beaten the All Blacks in more than 50 years.
So, really, England will be the biggest test for the All Blacks. Whatever happens, the success of the tour will be judged on that match in London.
After all, a team is only as good as its last game.
British Isles tour
Schedule
• November 9 v Scotland, Murrayfield, 6.15am (NZ time)
• November 16 v Ireland, Croke Park, Dublin, 6.15am
• November 19 v Munster, Thomond Park, Limerick 8.30am
• November 23 v Wales, Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, 6.15am
• November 30 v England, Twickenham, London 3.30am
Five difficult opponents
• Martin Johnson - by the time New Zealand gets round to England, new coach Johnson should have shown what sort of coach he is.
Some in the north view him as the new messiah but he has never coached before, and has lost experienced players.
• Shane Williams - the quick Welshman on the wing is all action and should severely test the New Zealand flank men, who are not well known for their defensive qualities.
• Brian O'Driscoll - has a point to prove after being knocked out of the 2005 Lions tour through injury and then an indifferent performance by his Irish side in last year's World Cup.
• The weather - Those gloomy days, where the skies darken at 4pm and it never stops raining, can put a dampener on All Black spirit and game plans.
• The press - Some in the English press still view the All Blacks as inferior colonials and no matter how well they perform, the All Blacks know praise from the home scribes will be about as large as a crowd at a George Bush tribute concert.
Gone before
1905: The Originals beat Scotland, Ireland, and England but were infamously beaten 3-0 by Wales after All Black centre Bob Deans scored a seemingly legitimate try only for it to be ruled out by referee John Dewar Dallas.
1924-25: The Invincibles beat Ireland, Wales and England but did not play Scotland.
Scotland was a bastion of amateurism, and felt it could not play the All Blacks as the New Zealand side was being paid a daily allowance - approved by other unions - and that was against the principles of the amateur game upheld by Scotland.
It was a pity as the Scots were the best of the Home Union sides and had a real chance of beating New Zealand, a feat they have never done more than 80 years later.
1935-36: The All Blacks started off all right, beating Scotland and Ireland but then lost to Wales (12-13) and England (0-13), with Russian prince Alexander Obolensky, who had fled the 1917 revolution, scoring two tries in the English victory.
1953-54: Wales won the first match, and New Zealand then beat Ireland, England and Scotland, though it only won the last two games 5-0 and 3-0 respectively.
1963-64: Containing such All Black greats as Kel Tremain, Colin Meads and Don Clarke this side looked poised to be the first one to take the Grand Slam.
But it stumbled at the final hurdle, fighting out a scoreless draw with Scotland, after narrowly beating Ireland, and disposing of Wales and England.
1967-68: The All Blacks defeated England, Wales and Scotland but the match against Ireland was cancelled as foot and mouth disease was in England, and the Irish authorities were limiting travel to its country.
1972-73: The tour more remembered for the sending home of Keith Murdoch was so nearly the first successful Grand Slam tour.
After beating Wales, Scotland and England, a last-minute try from Irish winger Tom Grace gave the Irish a 10-10 draw.
1978: At long last the Grand Slam was gained though it was not easy.
Hooker Andy Dalton scored a last-minute try to defeat Ireland while a controversial line-out penalty against Wales gave the All Blacks victory.
England was disposed of, before, in near darkness, Scotland was beaten to finally grab the Grand Slam.
2005: The All Blacks never got near putting out the same side twice as coach Graham Henry rotated players.
More than 40 points were put on Wales and Ireland before England was beaten 23-19 despite three yellow cards being handed out to the All Blacks by referee Alan Lewis.
Scotland was beaten 29-10 in a forgettable match to take the Grand Slam.
