With the beard and his frame filling out by the day, Sam Whitelock looks every bit the All Black hard man.
There's no escaping the truth that Kiwis have an indelible perception of what an All Black enforcer should be all about - and that vision is based on Colin Meads.
Think hard men, think Meads - that's how it goes.
And Whitelock is presenting himself this year as a modern version, almost as the archetypal man of the land - an entirely wholesome product of a rural Kiwi upbringing.
Whitelock's slow, measured, non-committal responses only enhance the impression he's a man of action and not words. But what has mostly confirmed he's now arguably the world's best lock is the way he's elevated the intimidatory nature of his game.
