Trying to work out areas of vulnerability within the All Blacks' game must be the sort of thing that keeps opposition coaches awake at night.
The convention that controlling possession and territory is the key to victory doesn't apply to this team. Look at England last weekend, they won 68 per cent of possession, yet the All Blacks, after going through a dip before and after halftime, always felt comfortable that they would win.
The real key indicator is what they do with the ball they get. They don't need many chances - the skillsets among forwards and backs allow them to make the most of every single opportunity, no matter how small.
"We'd rather win every stat, but some stats are important and some aren't," assistant coach Ian Foster says. "Some are game specific. I think if you look over the last four or five years, possession and territory are key indicators but they're not always key stats. What's most important is how you use the possession you get and we've generally used our possession pretty well."
They could make it easier on themselves, though. Against England there was some sloppy stuff which resulted in turnovers and the way the referees are ruling the breakdown on this northern tour means the All Blacks are finding it hard to steal it back at the ruck without being penalised.
