All Blacks facing another physical challenge

Kieran Read is expecting another physical challenge for the All Blacks when they face Argentina. Photo / Getty

The physical threat the All Blacks face this week will be equally intense as the one they encountered in Samoa, but of an entirely different nature says Kieran Read.

The All Black No 8 - who declared himself delighted to be back in the frosty climes of Christchurch and breathing fresh air - spoke like a man who was determined to knock the carnival vibe of last week on the head and restore order with a more accurate, bullish All Black performance.

There was an element of the unfamiliar about the opening test of the year, with the pre-game activities and searing heat and humidity in Apia taking the All Blacks out of their usual routines - and with that, possibly the right mind-set, too.

But the Island shirts and lavalavas have been put away and the familiarity of Christchurch and a more typical test preparation routine has obviously focused All Black minds on the task at hand on Friday night.

The Pumas, who have become a relatively well-known opponent in the last few years, are expected to bring what they always bring: which is a destructive scrum, a big rolling maul and presence at the breakdown.

"It was a physical challenge against Samoa in some respects but the Argies will bring it in the forward pack," said Read. "They will drive the ball. They will take us on up front we have got to expect that. We have worked hard on that in the past. When we know it is coming we have done well. We have got to switch into that mentality."

The threat posed by the Pumas' rolling maul is one that will be given ample attention by the All Blacks. As was evident throughout Super Rugby, the rolling maul has become the default weapon of choice for most teams - largely because there is an element of confusion around what is legal and what is not and partly because the way the rules are being interpreted are heavily in favour of the attacking team.

Not only will the All Blacks want to test their ability to shut down the rolling maul, they will be keen to refine their own work in that area as well as massively improving all the execution of their basics skills.

"The conditions [in Apia] didn't allow us to play and probably we were mentally fatigued as well," said Read.

"A lot of us made basic errors which is something we can't excuse. We have got to be pretty switched on to get that right. For us it is about preparing as well as we can before we get into the World Cup swing of things. There is a big group here and what we have got to do is put performances on the board in these four games. You want some confidence and you want some combinations between guys - gelling really well and to go into that period [World Cup] of the year with confidence."