KEY POINTS:
Assistant All Black coach Wayne Smith is an avid historian and he noted that the side's narrow win against Munster yesterday mirrored much of what legendary Herald journalist T. P. McLean wrote about the 1978 loss to Munster.
McLean's summary from the match 30 years ago was reprinted in the match programme and Smith admitted it had eerie tones of a repeat as the match at the refurbished Thomond Park unfolded.
"You are just under such huge pressure physically you can see it in most of the players' eyes when the game is taken to them but I've got to say the young guys hung in and got ourselves out of some mistakes," he said.
Relieved forwards coach Steve Hansen said the workout would be a great benefit to the growth of the young pack. It was as near to a test match intensity as many of them had experienced and for them to be involved and get the win, and to absorb the lessons of those difficulties would be invaluable for their development.
The side now moves to Cardiff and Chapter 3 of their Grand Slam quest with a test against Wales on Sunday. That team selection was delayed until early today as the selectors mull over a couple of ideas.
There was also a judicial hearing for loosehead prop Tony Woodcock to attend in Dublin after he was cited for punching in the win against Ireland. Woodcock has also been struggling with a sore back so those issues had to be dealt with before the team was revealed overnight.
"We have just got to go to Dublin and try and get a fair hearing and if we do that then I am reasonably comfortable with what will happen. But you don't know and it is not about that tonight, it is about this game," he said of the narrow victory against Munster.
Centre Conrad Smith is also still tender after being replaced in the Irish test because of a troublesome groin injury while Richard Kahui is chasing his spot hard.
All Black boss Graham Henry said he caught up with Doug Howlett after the match and the former All Black, Blues and Auckland wing said there was an extraordinary soul and passion in playing for Munster.
"They have had a few guys away with the Irish side and for the other guys to step up and play with that sort of passion is pretty special. Like I think it just epitomises what this club is all about and I think we were privileged to be part of that and to see that in the flesh."
Had the All Blacks not kept a clean second half sheet, his young team would have probably wandered away with a defeat to match that of 1978, Henry admitted.
"I think it was pretty important. We played most of the game in the second half in their half didn't we? Am I right? And we had a goal to try and ensure we played their end and scored points.
"We talked about passion at halftime because we were getting second in those things, it was about keeping clear heads under those sorts of pressures and I think the guys improved in that as the game went on.
"The boys went into the unknown. You can talk about these things but until you experience it you don't really know what it is about."
