All Blacks raring to go against Welsh as World Cup looms large

Dan Carter (left) and Colin Slade warm up during a gym session at Cardiff University. Picture / Getty Images

This part of the Northern tour has been a bit of a trap for the All Blacks in the past couple of years.

They pulled off the ultimate escape act against Ireland in Dublin in the final test of 2013, replacement Ryan Crotty finishing off an extraordinary movement in the dying seconds to score in the corner, with Aaron Cruden kicking the conversion from the sideline to win it.

And the year before they pitched up to Twickenham clearly tired - a level of fatigue made worse by a stomach ailment that affected many in the squad during the week - and into an England ambush, one of only two losses suffered under Steve Hansen's reign.

After arriving from Edinburgh, and their close 24-16 victory over Scotland at Murrayfield, however, the players are fresh and eager to play Wales at Millennium Stadium, one of the world's great rugby arenas.

If they were in any doubt how much the Welsh value the game, they needed only to switch on the TV on Sunday night to see a BBC Wales show dedicated to the weekend's international action in front of a studio audience and featuring the opinions of former Wales internationals Gareth Thomas and Jonathan Davies, former All Black Xavier Rush, and former Auckland coach Wayne Pivac.

The chance to prove themselves ahead of next year's World Cup is part of the excitement for the All Blacks, plus the fact that they have been managed carefully by the coaching staff. Last weekend, only Richie McCaw and Ben Smith started against Scotland after playing the week before against England.

They are extremely fresh, a point touched on by Hansen on arrival and picked up again yesterday by veteran hooker Keven Mealamu, who didn't play at Murrayfield.

"We've arrived here really excited at the challenge we've got this weekend," he said. "I look around the team and when we were in the gym this morning the energy was really good. Man, we're excited to be here in Cardiff."

Flanker Sam Cane said: "We've got guys who aren't mentally and physically fatigued because they've been looked after and managed over the last three weeks. Everyone is in really good shape. There is a good feel, so we've got to build it during the week and peak on Saturday."

Some very good players will miss the match-day 23 for the Wales game, just as they will the squad for next year's World Cup, with Mealamu agreeing the fast-approaching global tournament was a factor in the excitement levels. This test will be the last they play in Europe before their opening pool game against Argentina at Wembley on September 20.

The All Blacks' wish to re-create the leap from their pool to the knockout stages next year and their test against the USA in Chicago followed by a big jump up in class to England at Twickenham was mirrored in their travel arrangements this week, a chartered flight from Edinburgh to Cardiff.

Should they top their pool next year they take a chartered flight from Newcastle to Cardiff for their quarter-final.

Final-test factor

All Blacks 24 Ireland 22,
Dublin, 2013

Ireland score three tries in 18 minutes to lead 19-0 before the All Blacks fire a shot. A Julian Savea try helps the visitors but the Irish still lead 22-7 at the break before the mother of all comebacks. Jonathan Sexton's missed penalty with five minutes left effectively lets the All Blacks back in.

England 38 All Blacks 21,
London, 2012

England go out to a 12-0 lead at the break, with the All Blacks struggling to get into the game. They bounce back at the start of the second half with Julian Savea and Kieran Read scoring, but after that it is all England, who romp to their biggest score against the All Blacks, and their biggest winning margin.