All Blacks brace for the two big ones

Chris Jack works out during a training session in Pretoria as the All Blacks prepare for what they expect to be their toughest matches in the Tri-Nations series. Ross Land / Getty Images

Bledisloe Cup safe, Tri-Nations title safe ... the All Blacks have nothing left to play for in their final two tests in South Africa.

That's the assumption heard from some quarters, but it's certainly not the way the All Blacks see it.

They have much to win or lose from their tests in Pretoria and Rustenburg as they chase a victory which has eluded them in South Africa under coach Graham Henry.

They have put together 14 consecutive victories since they lost in Cape Town last year. That record is made even more impressive by the fact that the selectors used a bigger squad and challenged it to hold the momentum and use a variety of playing styles while the team continued to top the world rankings.

The All Blacks are two games shy of another rest before they are drip-fed into the national provincial championship - two games that may have a huge effect on some players' World Cup aspirations.

Henry has said he will approach the end-of-year tour to Britain and France like a World Cup campaign, and his generous selection rotation will cease as the countdown to next year's tournament begins.

That puts pressure on some fringe players in the final Tri-Nations tests in South Africa, especially as those at home - such as Conrad Smith, Ma'a Nonu, Nick Evans, Andrew Ellis, Sione Lauaki, James Ryan, Troy Flavell - come into health and form.

"There is still a lot for us to achieve over here," fullback Leon MacDonald said.

The All Blacks had decided to approach the mini-tour as a chance to imitate the 1996 side's series win for New Zealand in South Africa.

That was motivation and the need to redress the winless work in the past two years. None of the players was looking to ease his way to the end of the international schedule.

"As an All Black you are always playing for your career and I don't think many guys can afford to sit back and take the week off," MacDonald said.

Ideally, everyone wanted to play, even if at the start of the week they felt sore and battered after a previous test.

"When you get closer to that game time and you get that feeling in your guts about the game coming up it is hard ever to not want to play."

On Sunday in Pretoria, four players, including battered skipper Richie McCaw, back up after starting at Eden Park.

The intention had always been for McCaw to play in Pretoria and Henry said once he was cleared as fit to play there was no reason to alter the plan.

"Obviously Richie had his challenges in the weekend, but he has come through 100 per cent - he has talked to the medical staff and they have given him full clearance," Henry said.

If the Springboks targeted McCaw, it would open up space for his colleagues.

Changing all but McCaw in the pack meant having the freshest group to challenge the Springboks. It would have been much more difficult for the pack from Eden Park to complete the long-haul travel and then "get up again" for another test inside a week.

Neither tighthead prop Carl Hayman nor midfielder Aaron Mauger were available but they should recover from injury for the second test in Rustenburg.