Join host Alex Chapman with special guests Buck Shelford & Leon MacDonald as they present the latest RWC news and review the All Blacks v Canada encounter. VIDEO/Spark Sport/AP/Mark Mitchell/AllBlacks.com/Photo sport/Getty images
Welcoming Brodie Retallick back, two weeks earlier than originally scheduled, is the rugby equivalent of striking the jackpot at the many pachinko parlor slot machines dotted around downtown Tokyo.
The All Blacks have relocated from Beppu to their base near Disneyland on outskirts of the Japanese capital this week. Toreach their hotel by rail, you must board the Mickey Mouse themed train.
Retallick has been counting down the days until he could again take the field and as he prepares for his first test in 10 weeks he appears in a similar excitable, irritable state to children dragging their parents through Disneyland doors on a daily basis.
Retallick, of course, almost missed the World Cup after dislocating his shoulder against the Springboks in late July.
Initial despair about the possible need for surgery disappeared but had Retallick's joint not clicked into place during an aqua jogging session with his wife, he may well have missed this tournament.
Retallick starting alongside Sam Whitelock, who captains the team against Namibia in Kieran Read's absence, to reunite the first-choice locking team, has the potential to take the All Blacks to the next level.
All Blacks locks Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick at the team's hotel in Tokyo, Japan. Photo / Mark Mitchell
Immediate expectations should be tempered, somewhat, as Retallick will probably only play 30 minutes against Namibia, followed by 60 against Italy, to preserve his frame for the quarter-final.
Steadily building match fitness through this graduated return is much more preferable than throwing him in the deep end.
Retallick's speedy recovery avoids having to walk into a knockout match cold, allowing his influence to grow and his body to better endure the physical demands test rugby brings, particularly in the tight-five.
Returning two weeks early gives Retallick time to familiarise himself with the nuances of the team, the speed of the game and the heat in Japan. It allows him to recover properly between matches too.
By the time the All Blacks' quarter-final arrives, his engine should be well humming. He should be instinctively seeing and doing.
All Blacks lock Brodie Retallick passing to Sevu Reece during their training session in Tokyo, Japan. Photo / Mark Mitchell
The impact of Retallick's return is extremely significant. In the coming weeks he will take pressure off Read, who has assumed the role of enforcer by delivering huge defensive hits in recent times.
The physical presence Retallick adds to the All Blacks is obvious but in many ways there's so much more – his breath of skill for a second-rower unmatched globally.
He is strong at the breakdown, often winning turnovers, at the lineout and in stifling opposition mauls. He is powerful with ball in hand, and on defence.
His ball skills are brilliant for a big man – he loves selling the odd show and go – and from second phase on, he is comfortable at first-receiver when required.
His presence strengthens the starting team and the bench. Scott Barrett is playing superb rugby at present. Unleashing him off the bench in headline matches to come will only add impact.
If all these traits aren't enough to whet anticipation for Retallick's return, then note Aaron Smith discuss another strength to his game that could prove invaluable in disrupting the barrage of box kicks coming the All Blacks way.
"He's a hundy. He goes hard not matter what. It's good to see him back in that niggly state. I know as a nine when he is in that defensive team he takes you out and quickly tugs you," Smith said.
"I always say leave my forearms alone. He always gets nines. He's got such long arms. You can tell he's hungry because he's been working really hard. As a halfback you can tell when he is in there. His ruck speed, his defence, he carries a lot of mana in this team."
A leader with actions and words, the All Blacks are now set to cash in on Retallick's return.
