KEY POINTS:
All the mountaineering metaphors apply tomorrow when the All Blacks search for victory against England to claim a repeat Grand Slam ascent and crown a massive 175-day international campaign.
At stake will be the trophy named in honour of climbing legend Sir Edmund Hillary, someone who knew all
about the sacrifice and slog needed to reach his sporting summit. The All Blacks began their journey in early June, suffered a blip or two as they criss-crossed the planet, but now stand on the verge of their second Grand Slam in four years.
They have regrouped after successive Tri-Nations losses to stitch together eight-straight victories to give themselves and their coaching staff time to smell the roses rather than the manure along the way. It has been a tough season for all of them, with the World Cup blight naturally coming back to niggle them when defeat arrived.
But they have survived those inquests, secured the Tri-Nations title and the Bledisloe Cup and begun to find some greater expression towards the tail-end of the season. They are also determined there will be no slip-up at Twickenham.
England, meanwhile, would find no greater pleasure in beating their own demons and the All Blacks to derail the latest assault on the Grand Slam target. It is unlikely, but all that needs to be said to the visitors is "Cardiff 2007".
That upset against France, that disaster, that mess, use whatever similar description for the World Cup defeat, was a burden, and is a reminder for the staff and players what can happen when they do not get the mental and physical needs in alignment.
This week has been about managing all sorts of issues from time off to go shopping in London to easing the stress and fatigue on tired bodies to primping their gameplan for one final blast.
No All Black side has ever played as many tests in a season. This will be the 15th outing for them with lock Ali Williams the only player to start every international. It is a heavy workload of travel, training and playing but all that will count for nothing if they trip up at Twickenham.
Like Hillary, all those years ago, they are poised near the summit and have to push through the pain, worry and conditions to conquer their goal.
At the start of the tour, bookmakers in Edinburgh found it difficult to frame any decent odds on the All Blacks sealing their Grand Slam objective. It was the closest they could see to a laydown misere; they were reluctant to enter the market.
It has panned out that way even though the All Blacks have scarcely got out of third gear on this trip. They have been efficient, effective, defensively magnificent without ever quite finding their attacking thrust.
They have not had their tryline crossed for 295 international minutes since Wallaby skipper Stirling Mortlock went over in the first half of the Hong Kong international. There have been close calls but the first-up hits and scramble defence have denied all the Home Unions so far.
That defensive clamp and turnovers have created the foundation for attacking replies while, if they get an early lead tomorrow, it would be great to see the All Blacks snap a little of their conservative streak and go for the attacking jugular.
It would also be refreshing if Daniel Carter shelved the bulk of his dinky kicks in behind the England backs. Carter with the ball in hand, throwing his variety of passes or reefing the ball downfield to ask questions of England's back three appeal as better attacking methods.
The pack have built their momentum this trip, they have worked a settled lineout, been a rock at scrumtime and, in the peerless Richie McCaw, workhorse Rodney So'oialo and improving physical presence of Jerome Kaino, have not been bettered in the loose.
Those standards cannot drop. England have a weight advantage in the scrum which should be countered by the All Black technical efficiency; they have tall lineout timber and a busy loose trio. Danny Care is a running halfback so will have to be tailed relentlessly while the aim must be to make new first five-eighths Toby Flood as twitchy as Ronan O'Gara was at Croke Park.
The word in England is that former Hurricanes second five-eighths Riki Flutey has sharpened his defence considerably. The All Blacks need to test that theory.
Up front, England have the meat and muscle to hang tough, to force a grinding try or two but beyond Flood in the backs, you doubt their trust, inventive competence or confidence to ask as many questions as Wales did. Hillary scaled Everest, the All Blacks should conquer their mountain and claim the great man's trophy.
