KEY POINTS:
Some of that fabled All Blacks aura may have been scraped away since the sport went "open" but they remain the greatest scalp in world rugby.
Although rivals have managed to chip away at the All Blacks, their opponents' occasional successes since Graham Henry took over after the 2003 World Cup have not pointed to regular triumphs.
But this is a World Cup and a sporadic coup, a magical day, is all it takes for some other nation to win and the All Blacks to be dispatched into the abyss of disappointment.
Collapses at the past two World Cups are ingrained enough in folklore, especially the semifinal subsidence against the French at Twickenham in 1999. No All Black would forget those.
But for Henry's men the disconcerting days have been against the Springboks, with annual defeats in South Africa until that pattern was halted this season. The worst, though, was Rustenburg last year when they fell by a point to an average Springbok side they had slapped the week before.
On the cold empirical evidence of results since Henry took over, the Boks and Wallabies are the All Blacks' greatest threat this time round. Between them they have caused all five of the side's failures in 43 internationals.
Of course they have more chance because they play the All Blacks more than other countries, they are far more familiar with the New Zealand style of rugby through the Super and Tri-Nations series.
The All Blacks retain the superior results sheet, losing just two out of nine tests against the Wallabies since 2004 and three out of nine against the Springboks. But it is those losses, all overseas, and certainly the defeat to the Wallabies a few months ago at the MCG, which raised the antennae.
On that night the All Blacks were off their game - they showed some of the mental fragility which will hurt any great side, while the Wallabies made the most of their limited resources. That test had all the ingredients and warnings about the sudden-death dangers at a World Cup.
If the Wallabies meet the All Blacks again this year, they may be a very battered squad by the semifinals. They would also need more of the MCG ropy refereeing assistance at the scrum, and backline guile, deception and power which they possess to find victory.
The Springboks will bring a much more muscular approach, a champion lineout, blitz defence and some new expansion. Keys will be the fitness of halfback Fourie du Preez who wrings the best out of his side and finding some five-eighths solidity. The Boks have been exposed a shade in the scrum and if that recurs, then they will struggle against the All Blacks' loose forward grunt.
There have been suggestions the All Blacks will struggle, in pool play, against Scotland as they have done in other tournaments. If it is shocking weather in Edinburgh for the match that is possible but away from the forwards confrontation, the Scots look too pedestrian to trouble the visitors. Their big game is against Italy to decide the second qualifier from the pool.
Which leaves us to assess the merits of the hosts, France, Ireland, Argentina, England, Wales and Samoa. Someone like Fiji or Canada could be a surprise quarter-finalist but will not go any further.
One from the France, Ireland and Argentina group disappears after pool play. The runner-up would play the All Blacks in a Cardiff quarter-final.
France have just beaten England twice in lead-up games and the defending champions will have to raise their standards or reduce their mistake rate considerably to progress deep in this tournament.
They are still trying to find their best players but do have a massive forward pack and the sharp-shooting clinical nous of Jonny Wilkinson. They lack some creativity, though, and perhaps some midfield pace for the hard grounds in France.
The hosts could succeed but they face the greatest mental hurdles of a tough section and appeasing the maniacal partisan support.
Ireland, with champions like a recovered Brian O'Driscoll, Paul O'Connell, Donncha O'Callaghan, a solid pack and goalkicking surety, are another side who could trouble an All Black side just out of sync. Those signs were there in NZ last year but you suspect they remain a brimstone side who will misfire at crucial times.
No side has approached the All Blacks' consistency since the 2003 World Cup, no side has the pedigree they will bring to this event. It has been so before but they have withered against sides in more dynamic form on the day. That is no comfort to All Black supporters but is the fascination of a sudden-death Rugby World Cup.
