All Blacks: Blood, sweat and forget the tears

The All Blacks should have too much firepower for France regardless of their disruptions, injuries and inexperience. Photo / Getty Images

It is not about redemption for 2007, but there will be parallel misery if the All Blacks succumb to France today at Carisbrook.

This is a new All Blacks side who carry the best Super 14 form into test combat and must be judged, without any excuses, on that performance.

There have been injury disruptions, late defections like Rudi Wulf's training ground mishap which will take him out of rugby for six weeks, the time needed to blend new combinations.

But the All Blacks are at home in the middle of their season and should be building towards an effective unit.

They have swags of test caps with new skipper Mils Muliaina, Joe Rokocoko, Ma'a Nonu, Brad Thorn and the entire front row. This crew has been judged the best talent in New Zealand by a vastly experienced selection and coaching unit, now is their time to produce.

"The guys here have a lot of experience and I have not said too much," Muliaina revealed. "The boys here will drive it and they have made my job easier."

Coach Graham Henry said Muliaina had shown himself to be a natural leader and understood how to get the best from his teammates.

It has been suggested that France may bring more sting than normal, that they may carry a psychological boost from their World Cup triumph two years ago in Cardiff. But they are at the end of a torrid season, they have travelled halfway around the globe to foreign conditions and have not played together for some time.

That should mean advantage New Zealand.

The uncertainty will be how certain parts of the All Black jigsaw gel. There will be churning stomachs from management down to test tyro Isaac Ross as a natural consequence of the anticipation. If those nerves do not settle, quickly, it could be a long and difficult night to match those of 15 years ago when the French visited and triumphed twice.

France will be adequate, but they did little in the Six Nations to suggest they are on an upward surge. They have some excellent players such as skipper Thierry Dusautoir at flanker, but his forward cohorts may not be able to match his sting. There are some robust men in the backline like midfielder Mathieu Bastareaud, familiar names like Cedric Heymans and Damien Traille, but nothing to suggest they will have the clout for an extended confrontation.

Similar questions will be fired at the middle section of the All Blacks, those with numbers 5 to 10 on their jerseys.

These are the fresher test faces, players with limited test experience like the loose forward trio as well as halfback Jimmy Cowan, who has been around for a while but is desperate to reach the next level of recognition.

Ross spouts all the right mantra about his test debut - his role model was workaholic former Crusader Reuben Thorne - and if his deeds match his words he will have a useful start.

"You have just got to take it in your stride but don't let yourself get wrapped up in it too much, otherwise you will take your mind off what you should be doing in the game," he said.

The loosies have all the talent in the world, from the industrious Kieran Read to the pace, skills and flair of Adam Thomson and Liam Messam. The unknowns are how quickly they can blend and how sharp they can be at the breakdown.

Then there is the Cowan-Stephen Donald partnership, one which spluttered against the Wallabies in Hong Kong last year because of their forwards' lack of control. If that recurs, the All Black threat out wide will be suffocated.

"If you look at it, the 8, 9, 10 are the navigators of the team aren't they," Cowan agreed, "so there is a lot of ownership on us to get things right. I know their experience looks light on paper, but you look at Stevie [Donald] and Mess [Messam] and they have had loads of experience in top rugby, they have been leaders amongst their men.

"Going to this higher level, I'm sure there will be tough times in this test but this is where players like us have to step up and take real ownership.

"If we concentrate on what we have to do we will get some flow in our games, but if we start worrying about other issues that is when there are problems."

Cowan's feisty temperament has failed him at times this season, but he says he has learned from each mishap and as a confirmed mud rat will welcome any messy weather.

"I think this is exciting for all of us as a new team. Last year was then, this is now, we have all this to look forward to."