Califano here to beat All Blacks on his new home turf

Surrounded by a group of French media, Christian Califano is rumbling through a lengthy list of questions.

He laughs consistently, his hands moving in time with his expressive answers.

He loves New Zealand, he is fascinated by Maori history and tradition, and will be calling Auckland home from next month.

Tattoos on his left bicep and right leg indicate his interest in Maori culture. But today he is pure French, he is tighthead prop for the test against the All Blacks in Wellington, and there will be no sympathy for his adopted country.

"I have to concentrate fully on this game and show what I can do because what comes after this is also very important," he said.

The after is a stint with the Auckland NPC side, a move he hopes could also push him into the Super 12 competition next season.

Califano will return to France to gather his family before returning to Auckland in mid-July.

"I want to discover a new rugby," he said of the dream he has chased for several years. "New Zealand have the best rugby in the world and I want to experience the whole life here, but also be available for France."

Califano is 29, his cauliflowered ears have packed down in 65 tests, but he does not intend tonight's test to be his last.

He wants to play in the next World Cup and believes that to achieve that goal, he must take advantage of rugby in New Zealand.

The year-long break from his Toulouse club was not a superannuation jaunt, it was a career move with the 2003 World Cup in his sights.

His All Black connections began in 1994 when he made his test debut in Christchurch and France won. He believes France can repeat that shock today.

"But it will be very tough because the All Blacks have played Samoa and Argentina and improved in each game. They are also playing for what must be a sort of reconciliation between themselves and the public because they have drifted apart because of what France has done to them in recent years," Califano said.

"This has been a great tour for us so far with a young team and we do not want to finish on a low note."

Califano was a youngster when he made his debut, a selection which surprised him.

He did not hear his name read out at the team meeting and only realised what had happened when several team-mates congratulated him.

He faced Richard Loe in the front-row at Christchurch, a test France won 22-8.

"I always remember the after-match dinner," he recalled. "Sean Fitzpatrick said to us that we might have won the test, but the next one would be war. We got so focused because of what Fitzpatrick said. Our coach Pierre Berbizier gave us a week of hell at training because we felt we had the side to win the series."

They did, with the late glittering try "from the end of the earth" for a 23-20 victory at Eden Park.

Those wins, and others for Califano against the All Blacks, have not derailed his interest in New Zealand.

"Who does not like the All Blacks, who does not like New Zealand rugby," he said.

While Califano's admiration illuminates his conversation, part of his role on this tour has been to nurture the youngsters and to defuse the mystique of the All Blacks.

He has to make sure they are not consumed by the game before kickoff, that they are relaxed and peak on time.

"All New Zealand eyes will be on me as well," he said, "so I have to show the way, I am obliged to be at the top of my game, too."