Kieran Read may have stepped into the captaincy shoes of an injured Richie McCaw late in the piece, to take on the Wallabies tonight at Forsyth Barr Stadium, but the All Black machine appears to be cruising along perfectly.
The side will go for its 30th straight victory on its own shores tonight, and pride in performance and maintaining high standards should be motivation enough to get the team home across the line in the third Bledisloe Cup match of the year.
The side is coming off a big test against the Springboks a couple of weeks ago but has been challenged by coach Steve Hansen to back that game up with another top-drawer performance.
For any All Black team the most important game is the next one, and Hansen does not expect the loss of McCaw to shake his team at all.
''We have just got to do what we have done all week. That is to prepare to play for the Aussies and play well which is what we intend to do,'' Hansen said.
''We have got to the stage now it is just business as usual. When someone gets injured the expectation is that everyone has been preparing to play anyway. We are confident. There is a lot of trust in each other.
He did not think losing McCaw would help the Australians, as they had plenty of respect for Cane.
New captain Read was taking the elevation to captaincy in his stride, having skippered the side throughout the year with McCaw on a sabbatical and then struck down by injury.
''The guys are really well drilled in their own preparation, so we are just really looking forward to it,'' Read said.
A win for the Wallabies would really put a spring in their step. The All Blacks had no intention of allowing them that.
''To be honest, it [a win] would make their season so we can't afford to slip in our standards. It is awesome to be here in Dunedin and hopefully we'll put in a good performance.
''I think they [Wallabies] are a completely different beast from when we played them earlier in the year. I reckon they'll be a lot more attacking and probably willing to throw the ball around. There is not much to lose for them, so we expect a really attacking game plan from them.''
The All Blacks are also highly motivated by the fact they butchered the third game of the Bledisloe Cup series last year, stumbling to a 18-18 draw in Brisbane. They do not want to do that again.
Hometown boy Ben Smith and his performance at centre will also be of interest, while Cane will once again by measured by the highest standards set by his injured captain.
The Australians will look to move the ball and Quade Cooper is a key man for that.
He was in good form when in Dunedin for the Reds earlier this year. Another effort like that and the Australians will be more than mere participants.
All Blacks v Wallabies
Tonight, 7.35pm
All Blacks: Israel Dagg, Charles Piutau, Ben Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Julian Savea, Aaron Cruden, Aaron Smith, Kieran Read (captain), Sam Cane, Liam Messam, Sam Whitelock, Jeremy Thrush, Charlie Faumuina, Keven Mealamu, Tony Woodcock. Reserves: Dane Coles, Wyatt Crockett, Ben Franks, Brodie Retallick, Steven Luatua, Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Beauden Barrett, Tom Taylor.
Wallabies: Israel Folau, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Tevita Kuridrani, Matt Toomua, Peter Betham, Quade Cooper, Will Genia, Ben McCalman, Michael Hooper, Ben Mowen, James Horwill (captain), Rob Simmons, Ben Alexander, Stephen Moore, James Slipper. Reserves: Saia Fainga'a, Benn Robinson, Sekope Kepu, Sitaleki Timani, Dave Dennis, Nic White, Mike Harris, Bernard Foley.
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
