It's a nasty and demanding schedule and the potential for the players to start hating living out of a suitcase is massive. The potential for players to start hating living in each other's pockets is even greater.
The fact the All Blacks have become so adept at staying united and harmonious towards the end of a season will arguably be their greatest asset at next year's World Cup.
The teams who make the last four next year will be together, constantly, for eight weeks - probably longer by the time warm-up games and training camps are considered.
That will prove too much for some outfits who don't have the experience of being together for so long or the culture to survive it.
England, for example, have been drawn to play just one game outside of London next year. Not only will they have the pressure of being hosts, but they will also have that compounded by being stuck at one match venue for nearly the whole tournament.
The All Blacks struggled with that in 2003, when they were based mainly in Melbourne, and again in 2011, when they spent most of the event in Auckland. But this current side have learned how to deal with the pressures of touring. They have learned how to structure their training and socialising, and how best to deal with the demands of sponsors and other stakeholders which, strangely, can be more intense when offshore than at home.
"I think they're pretty good at mixing up roomies," says All Blacks wing Cory Jane. "Rarely do you find you are with the same guy every week, so I think that's refreshing for the boys. You have a few grumps at each other. The guys that like to hang out with me - TJ [Perenara], Jules [Savea] and Israel [Dagg] - sometimes I feel, even though I have left New Zealand and my kids for a while, I have gained three more when I come here.
"They can get annoying now and then but I think we have got a pretty good culture in the All Blacks. If you're one of those guys who likes to joke around and tease people, you probably don't [do it] to the guys who are a bit more serious. We all know each other's personalities.
"As a team, as soon as you come into it, Shag [Steve Hansen] says if you want to joke around or have a crack at someone then go for it as long as you are willing to get it back. The culture is a lot of fun and I can be myself, tease people and not be beaten up for it. It's not as bad as people think."
It's no coincidence the All Blacks have struggled in their final test in the last two years. Some of that was due to the quality of opposition and physical fatigue but a lot of their challenges in that final week are caused by the difficulties of having been together for so long.
Still, their record overall is phenomenal. Since 2004, they have lost only twice at this time of year - England in 2012 and Australia in Hong Kong in 2010.
"We have a group of guys here and we try to do a lot of things off the field that are fun," says flanker Sam Cane. "We try to engage in each other's company and enjoy it because the best thing you can do is be mates off the field. Having a good room-mate helps. If you get someone who has the same sleeping patterns and you get on well ... to be honest most guys in the team you wouldn't hesitate to room with.
"During the week, sometimes less is more. You don't need to be over-working and jamming them so you feel stressed. You have done the work to get to this stage so it's about trying to keep the excitement and positive mindset and enjoying it."
