All Blacks: Pride and fear driving Smith as France loom

Conrad Smith. Photo / Brett Phibbs

The twin emotions of pride and fear are driving Conrad Smith as the All Blacks get down to the business of preparing to play France in the World Cup final.

A leader in the backline's "mini unit'' which analyses their opposites, Smith was justifiably proud of the performance against Australia last weekend but knows that will be forgotten if the All Blacks fall on Sunday night.

The other driving force is the much-talked-about unpredictability of France and the fear of what their backs, in particular, might conjure up on Sunday night.

"They've got a lot of ability,'' Smith said of Morgan Parra, Maxime Mermoz and Co. "In same ways that makes it easier to prepare well because you've got that element of fear of what they're going to bring out.

"They have the individuals to really hurt you when they have the ball so you've got plenty to think about which is good.''

The All Blacks' knowledge of the threats France pose go much further back than their recent 37-17 victory in this tournament's pool encounter. They only need to go back to the defeats in the 1999 and 2007 World Cups for a reality check.

"We've already talked about how good a feeling it was after that last week [semifinal win over Australia],'' Smith said. "It will count for nothing and no one remember it if we don't do the business this weekend. We don't want that, we were proud of the way we played last weekend and we want that feeling again.

"The French will have it easy [in terms of motivation]. Everyone will be writing them off they will be told the same stats about what they're paying [at the TAB] and when you're told that as an athlete, your motivation is done.

Assistant coach Wayne Smith talked of the ability France have of "turning results on their heads''.

He said: "I think that helps us because there will certainly be no complacency this week. Everyone in the camp knows what it's going to be like and how hard it's going to be.

"You can imagine how much effort and time and work by everyone has gone into this situation and to be given the opportunity to go into the final is all you want. One team will go away as World Cup winners on Sunday and you just want that opportunity.

"They've got a history of making it difficult for us at rugby World Cups, they've got a particularly good history against us. I can remember back to 1999 we played France at Athletic Park in Wellington in the last game there. We won by 54-7 and a few months later there was a massive victory to France in the semifinal of the World Cup.''

The All Blacks will look to starve their opponents of ball and opportunity, much like they did against Australia, with halfback Andy Ellis saying it was important to keep key decision maker, halfback Dimitri Yachvili, on the back foot.

But they have dangers lurking among their back three of wings Alexis Palisson, Vincent Clerc and fullback Maxime Medard, and Richard Kahui said of the trio: "They're got plenty of experience and in big games you want that experience and those cool heads. They're guys who have shown when they get given an opportunity they can take it. While we didn't see too much of them against Wales we know we definitely have to keep them quiet and keep the pressure on and keep them out of the game.''