Brothers in arms
The loose forwards and outside backs get the plaudits but locks Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick are the cogs that hold this All Black machine together.
If they can stay on the field and play to their utmost ability, the All Black forward pack is not going to be far away.
The duo hit rucks, grab lineout ball and get round the field with plenty of speed.
If one of them goes down, the back-ups - Dominic Bird (too green and yet to convince), Patrick Tuipulotu (too young), Luke Romano (too injured) and Jeremy Thrush (too average) - are not of the same high quality.
Millionaire blues
It does not matter how good a team is - losing the best player in the world is going to hurt.
Kieran Read and his wonky head must be causing a few other sore heads among All Black management.
Jerome Kaino can come into the No 8 jersey and bruise plenty of bodies but he is a different sort of player to Read. The Canterbury man gets wide and turns up in just the right places.
How long Read spends with his feet up will have a big impact on how successful the All Blacks are.
Let's hope Kaino stays fit. The alarm bells will really start ringing if he goes down.
Plus, why is there no love for Nasi Manu? Victor Vito is back in form, apparently. But Manu has never been out of it all season.
Sultan of swing
As good as Aaron Cruden and Beauden Barrett are, a fit and firing Dan Carter is still cut and dried the best No 10 in the country. Actually, make that the world.
Carter is entering the last-chance saloon in terms of his career. Too many injuries and age does that to you.
But, fully rested after a six-month break - which included a trip to Hollywood and Oscar after-parties - Carter has the chance to come back and show all his wares.
He actually has not missed that many games with injury but a cloud always seems to be over him these days.
On top of his game, and free of niggles, no-one can match him. If he can do this for the All Blacks, the opposition is going to have a lengthy 80 minutes.
So far away
One wonders if the opposition can get any worse than it did at times last year. How did Ireland cough up such a healthy lead?
And why did Australia play such out-of-form and stale players?In some ways, success in international rugby - any sport, for that matter - comes down to how well the opposition plays.
Last year, as good as the All Blacks were, a lot of sides played poorly. It is hard to see that happening again.
The Springboks will welcome back a couple of veterans and their standards will have increased. Players will have also grown from the experiences of last year.
England looks average but players know if they do not perform on this tour then they are toast.
The Australians, with no Lions tour to distract them, should also be more focused.
But there is something about that All Black jersey which makes teams weak at the knees.
Last exit to Brooklyn
They are said to be making a film version of Dad's Army. Well, they may not have to go far to find the cast - the All Black dressing room.
The forward pack could, potentially, have an average age of more than 30. Some of them are way nearer the end of their careers than the beginnings.
Now, there is nothing wrong with experience. It is very much needed in tense situations. But one has to know when the experience card has been played for too long.
When the player, or players, can no longer make ground or pull off those vital tackles.
All Black coach Steve Hansen has shown he is prepared to make the changes, and he may have to make some more in the next few months.
