KEY POINTS:
THE SETPIECE
The Welsh are confident about their scrum and lineout. Even with loosehead Tony Woodcock escaping suspension for punching in the 22-3 victory at Croke Park, the Welsh pack will rate their chances of reaching parity against the All Blacks - a rare event. Wales coach
Warren Gatland tore shreds off his side after the loss to the Boks when they lost a couple of key late lineouts.
Good teams nail big moments, was his lectern speech. He liked their response. The Welsh players were not satisfied with finishing a close second to the World Cup champions last weekend: they were disappointed, whereas in the past they would have been content to finish close. This shift in psychology has to be made, otherwise Wales will always have spluttering results on the performance graph.
STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING
Wales have put an emphasis on this area of their game in the past 12 months and have started to show the benefits. Gatland is very hot on the idea that if Wales can compete physically with the All Blacks then half the battle of beating them has been won.
He has not only picked blokes who are at the top of their form, but has also put the work in at the gym, in the pool, on the paddock and in their mental preparation. He wants his side to get into an arm-wrestle with the All Blacks, instead of chasing matches he wants Wales to force the visitors into areas of the game which they would prefer to avoid.
MENTALITY
Gatland wants his team to chew away at the All Blacks' mentality, gnaw away at parts of the game where they get a bit twitchy. He knows that between world cups, the All Blacks get tested on an infrequent basis so he wants his side to hold out, keep the match tight and needle away at some of the visitors' patience and stamina.
He knows that the All Blacks do struggle when the pressure sets in, when they have to scrap for every point and piece of territory. Cracks then appear in their approach - the Welsh target has to be to get into that zone.
BACK THREE
These are the men charged with showing a free spirit in their work. Lee Byrne, Shane Williams and Leigh Halfpenny have great instincts on attack while their defensive qualities have also sharpened.
Williams is the nation's record tryscorer and his dazzling footwork, acceleration and change of pace have baffled the best defenders, Byrne mixes safety with adventure and Halfpenny is still a teenager but blessed with a full range of skills and has been the best wing this season.
They will be tested by the All Blacks' Fijian component but will also do some damage if they get enough quick ball in the right areas of the park.
