All Blacks: Brad Thorn wants to complete the job

All Black coach Graham Henry (L) and lock Brad Thorn. Photo / Sarah Ivey

Brad Thorn eyed the room. He was on a rest day, in a session with the media but he meant business.

He was musing about a series of ideas like scrummaging, and how this week and the Rugby World Cup final would pan out. Anyone who dismissed France, was in Thorn's mind, talking nonsense.

But he did not mind. He would not be going out of his way to read newspapers, scan the internet, listen to the radio or catch the television news about the World Cup. Once the All Blacks' training week began today he would be concentrating on getting a winning medal around his neck on Sunday night.

"Do you think anyone is going to care who won the semifinal in 2011?" he asked before giving the "no one is going to care" answer in the same sentence.

"It is what happens this weekend and we have got a world-class opposition coming up against us and both teams are going to have to prepare and see how it goes."

When he played league for the Broncos they were usually favourites in the NRL and that squad did their work, kept up their momentum, played for each other and got the job done.

That would be a similar plan this week for the All Blacks.

He watched France struggle once opposition Welsh captain Sam Warburton was sent off in their semifinal. This week France would be up and were likely to have a blinder.

"They have got an outstanding tight five, their loose trio is up there with ours as the best in the world and dangerous backs, great scrum, good lineout. So I won't be reading much this week. I'll be preparing for battle from the first minute through to the 80."

Thorn was pumped in the semifinal and admitted his exuberance showed because the hardest tournament task was to get through to the final. Then it was winner take all.

He had also been excited about the All Blacks scrum dominance. "It doesn't just happen, there's a lot that goes on in there and maybe it might take a lock to understand, I'm not sure.

"It's like getting under a Max squat. It's not much fun doing a squat, it is intimidating. When you do it you have to hype up and if you do that squat you feel pumped up and scrummaging is like that.

"When it's their ball you have to wait for the ball to come. You can't just get momentum but as a unit you work together especially the tight five to go up against another international pack - 900 kilos - and it's a test."

The World Cup was about one more game, his last in the All Blacks jersey, his 59th test.