KEY POINTS:
Jetlag. What jetlag? The response from test regular Mils Muliaina after his first day back training with the All Blacks would have been a welcome response for the coaching staff and the next Grand Slam quest against Ireland.
Muliaina may be the best fullback in international rugby backed by the experience of 66 caps, but he has had only a game and a half of rugby in the nine weeks since the All Blacks clinched the Bledisloe Cup in Brisbane.
He admitted it was the least rugby he had played in some time, so he was venturing into the unknown a little.
Then he has also had to contend with the emotions of the birth of son Max and subsequent news the baby will need surgery before Christmas to repair a hole in his heart.
"I think once you realise that operation is pretty standard - and the surgeons were really good to me and said it was really common and it was really just like putting a cast on ... It sounds pretty scary, but when you sit down and think about it, it's okay," Muliaina said.
The operation would not occur until Max put on a little more weight, so Muliaina grabbed his leave pass and jetted off to the UK where he will resume his test career against Ireland at the unfamiliar Croke Park venue while Lansdowne Rd continues being rebuilt.
He claims he is refreshed, even after training between bottles and nappies in the last few weeks, and was excited to be part of the All Blacks push to emulate their Grand Slam triumph of 2005.
"I was always planning on coming back [to Hamilton] after the Hong Kong game, if I went over there, to spend time at home. But obviously when I missed the Hong Kong test, the coaches said I may as well stay and be supportive then come over after that."
Muliaina praised the efforts of his All Black teammates who won in Hong Kong then Edinburgh. He thought the team rallied well against the Wallabies after being down at halftime, and a young side had shown their mettle when they kept Scotland tryless last weekend.
He figured conditions this weekend against Ireland might be similar to those the sides battled through at Wellington this year when the All Blacks triumphed 21-11, though he felt Ireland were showing a much more expansive style.
"They are a lot different team now. They are a lot more attacking, their forwards are big and strong and they really attack that breakdown - so you just have to go in with the mentality that you have to be physical and be right on the job."
There would also be the task of dealing with any vagaries at Croke Park. The All Blacks in the past had been to several functions there but would have only one training look at the ground the day before the test.
"We will just have to play it as we see it this weekend, and hopefully that will be enough."
Ireland would be made up of Munster forwards and Leinster backs, and that helped with nailing some research footage for the international.
"There are obviously more clips of what individuals do, and I suppose for the forwards, they can look at them as a unit as well. We just have to make sure we do our homework and tick the boxes. As the week progresses you get more upskilled."
Muliaina thought the biggest lesson for the All Blacks was to play what was in front of them rather than persevering with an approach which was either not right for the conditions or what Ireland threw at them.
They had noticed Ireland had brought a much more expansive attack to their play while still having a gnarled, battle-hardened pack.
If the All Blacks had a good week's preparation then they should not have any doubts about their ability to compete in the test.
The biggest difference was that every Six Nations side had very physical packs, and the danger would always occur if those forwards were not countered.
