KEY POINTS:
In the most polite description, Chris Jack is a big lump. He needs to be, having worn the lock's jersey for the All Blacks in 63 tests.
But after the World Cup opener against Italy, Jack had shed 4kg under a blazing afternoon sun in Marseille.
About an
hour and a half after the game Jack was still showing the exhausting effects of his toil as he lugged his bag towards the team bus. His face had a blotchy, lobster hue, his body still warm as he wore the compression tights designed to help repair muscle fatigue and counter the effects of dehydration.
"It's just like a wetsuit but it does the business, anything to help after that," he said.
There will be little respite for Jack, one of the four All Blacks backing up against Portugal this weekend in Lyon, where the afternoon temperatures will not be as hot as Marseille, but will still feel warm to players reared on a diet of night internationals.
"Dehydration is the problem and it is very hot," Jack said. "It felt similar to playing in Africa, but it felt a little more intense, a little drier."
With fellow lock Keith Robinson and utility Reuben Thorne improving from their leg injuries but not ready for action, Jack and Ali Williams have to square up against Portugal.
There was a scare for Jack in midweek when he had a shoulder iced and was in some pain after a training mishap. It passed, which was probably just as well for those lineout lifters pondering any regular task of hoisting the considerable frame of Sione Lauaki as a deputy lock.
The All Blacks' work this weekend will be all about standards and, for Jack, more of that concentration will come at the setpiece.
He was allowed some freedom through the centre of the field against Italy, who fanned out to guard against the threat from the All Black speedsters on the flanks.
"They were a bit loose because our width was their danger, they covered that so we busted them through the middle. We got a bit more latitude there. But our setpiece needs to be worked on.
"Our scrum was not there, it was just off and our lineout was messy," he said.
Italy had been stunned by the All Blacks' fast start when they had a mortgage on possession and the scoring started in the second minute by captain Richie McCaw.
"That was phenomenal," Jack recalled, "it eased the pressure on us, it allowed us to relax and enjoy the game. I had not played in ages so it was great to get out there, get a feel of the World Cup and get into it."
The night before, the 29-year-old admitted to nerves about the tournament.
He watched the opening game between Argentina and hosts France but could not get to sleep.
"I was excited about playing and I think it happened to most of us. We realised we were here, it had started and we were part of it." If some were expressing their sympathy for the amateur Portugal opposition this weekend, Jack took a more pragmatic view.
"They have earned their place on merit, we just have to go out and play them."
