By WYNNE GRAY
There used to be the three P's in rugby - pace, position, possession. Add to that the pressure which will piggyback the All Blacks in Sydney tonight as they search for the win to start the defence of their Tri-Nations crown against the World Cup champion Wallabies.
The brittle defeats against the Wallabies at Stadium Australia last year and in the World Cup semifinal against France were visible evidence of a side without cohesive character.
Tension destroyed the All Blacks' routine and they did not have the spirit to absorb moments of crisis which quality sporting teams do.
All Blacks and coaching staff talk of their conviction that they have a broader kinship this season to deal with adversity, to grind out the tough times, to cope with that pressure.
And there will be plenty of it delivered by a Wallaby side full of self-belief, on the verge of a record sequence of 11 test wins for Australia and knowing their opponents have some mental devils to confront.
The handbrake has come off the All Blacks in many ways. They have been given more space away from their work, they have been chosen to use their natural flair and instincts, they have been coached hard on the ethic that defence is as important as attack.
The questions now are whether this side can black out the Wallabies 20 minutes before a full eclipse is due to hit Sydney for the first time in 41 years.
During the last few years, the Wallabies have not looked to measure up to the All Blacks. There always seemed to be questions about the front row, the speed of the loosies and the merits of several unlikely-looking players.
There is that suspicion again tonight but in the last two years the All Blacks have beaten Australia just once in five tests.
"New Zealand-Australia tests are the most fierce battles," said Wallaby captain John Eales, "it is like fighting your brother in the backyard."
The Wallabies win because they absorb tension, they do not panic or veer away from their style. They are superfit, concentrated and after some unusual defensive gaffes against the Springboks, were still potent enough to run away with last week's test.
There was one late Wallaby hiccup yesterday with flanker David Wilson struggling with a cold and lively Brumbies youngster George Smith has been put on standby.
In comparing the sides the All Blacks appear to have an advantage in the front row, though Kees Meeuws must justify his place, and athleticism in the loose forwards while the Wallabies have more lineout variety with Eales, David Giffin, Mark Connors and Jim Williams as targets.
The halves and centre combinations suggest an edge for the Wallabies while the All Black back three is New Zealand's domain with the greatest interest about the use of Jonah Lomu.
Andrew Mehrtens is a superior goalkicker to Stirling Mortlock and better tactical punter than Stephen Larkham, the teams square off in defence while Eales has a test match edge on Todd Blackadder who leads his side for the first time against Australia.
In the opinion of former Wallaby great Mark Ella, the result will be decided by the decisions and work of opposing pivots Mehrtens and Larkham. If the All Black back row stop Larkham, Ella said, "they will stop Australia."
Ella admires the way Larkham runs at defences but winces at the physical danger and how it can eliminate the five-eighths from the next play. Mehrtens, by contrast, is always available to guide his side.
Scott Robertson, Ron Cribb and Pita Alatini are all novices at this level and if they and the All Blacks do not get well into the game in the first quarter the anxiety levels will rise. That is when we will see if the All Blacks have made enough advances to match or cause an upset against the World Cup champions in their own backyard.
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