Sam Whitelock's season has been building to this point. Hardly a shrinking violet or a man without presence in 2012, there has, however, been something undeniably different about the 24-year-old this year.
He has found an edge. It wouldn't be right to say he's transformed from passive to active - but it's obvious he wants to leave an indelible mark: that he wants to run through rather than into opponents. He's become proprietorial, in that he wants to own the lineout, own the collisions and own his opponent.
The retirement of Brad Thorn after the World Cup left the All Blacks short of a hard man and in need of a towering physical force. That position sat vacant last year, but not this. Whitelock has decided to fill it, yet for all the progress he has made and for all that he looks to be the world's best lock, he can only confirm it by delivering against South Africa at Eden Park.
No other side asks the same questions as the Springboks. They are relentless in their physical approach and if any lock is going to earn the right to be considered truly world class, they have to be able to impose themselves and dominate for 80 minutes against the Boks.
"I think when you play the big games, and this is definitely a big game, your big players have got to step up," said All Black coach Steve Hansen. "That is when you expect them to be at their best and he's one of our big players. I think the guy beside him is also a big player - [Brodie] Retallick is also proving to be an outstanding lock as well and with both those guys the expectation is that they will front up and have a great game.
