Ma'a Nonu. Photo / Paul Estcourt
The All Blacks reckon they have covered every scenario teams could face in the seventh World Cup.
Selections for tonight's opening game against Tonga hint at those ideas with positional shifts in vogue in the back four.
But you wonder how much goalkicking practice blokes like Andrew Hore, Sam Whitelock,
Adam Thomson, Ma'a Nonu or Conrad Smith have done in the side's meticulous preparation as they begin their search for rugby's Holy Grail.
The All Black staff, players and advisers will have pored through research on all sorts of areas from referees, doping regulations, weather forecasts, injury regulations, traffic snafus, pitch invasions as well as the standard game plans.
But goalkickers outside Daniel Carter, Colin Slade, Piri Weepu, Israel Dagg and Isaia Toeava look a little lean. Forwards like Zinzan Brooke always used to engage in kicking competitions but none of the current mob look likely.
