KEY POINTS:
As soon as you mention the word "scrum" their cauliflowered ears seem to open a fraction more.
Smiles definitely crease the faces of all ex-frontrowers as they recall their days at the pitface, where they rolled their sleeves up to grapple, joust and outmanoeuvre similar grizzly veterans in
what used to be a contest for the ball.
It is still a battle but in a much more hygienic, technical, controlled environment. Citing commissioners, video replays, threats of suspension and fines for foul play have reduced the flareups that used to be such a part of the frontrow theatre. The skulduggery now is more varied, perhaps more of an applied science.
However, the psyche of the scrum remains. For many sides it is the soul of their game, the essence of their effort, a barometer of their chances.
After a lull, the All Blacks are once again bullish about their scrum and its ability to generate an enormous amount of controlled momentum. After years of tuition from adviser Mike Cron, the men in black have a potent scrum combination.
But it is only one part of the All Black machinery, it is not a weapon to encourage thoughts of reverting to 10-man rugby, low-percentage football or a game plan based on defence as coach Graham Henry explained this week. That sort of strategy would bore his side; it did not suit his players' skills or mentality.
"If you played a game that was dry and kicked the ball in the air, chased it and dropped goals I would think we would be a very poor side," the coach said.
"We've just got to put a game together that the guys find stimulating to play in and enjoy it, and then we might be quite good at it. And that's what we've tried to do. That's the way we've got to continue."
All Black hooker Anton Oliver uses the scrum to pinpoint the differences between sides shooting for the World Cup crown this season as he surveyed tomorrow's challenge from the Wallabies at Eden Park.
The experienced hooker will crouch-touch-pause and engage in his 55th international against a side that had not had a top-quality scrum for some time. But they had enough smarts, as Oliver noted, to deal with their problems and were good enough to beat the All Blacks 20-15 at the MCG three weeks ago.
Unlike the Springboks, France, Argentina and England, who put enormous store in their scrum, the Wallabies were canny enough to overcome their inequality. They were not fazed by any lack of parity.
"A lot's been said about the scrum and who was good, but at the end they still won," said Oliver.
"If you get into them physically and take away that physical component of the game, it doesn't actually perturb them all that much. The other teams hang so much of the mental aspect of their game on their physical dominance. If you take it away from them, a lot of other parts of their game collapse.
"The Australians [think], 'Okay they are getting a good scrum or they are dominating us here ... Where else are we going to win it?' They're far more intelligent; it doesn't take their whole game away."
They used their lineout more to create their attacks, and the genius of George Gregan and Stephen Larkham - with more than 100 tests each - could control any international.
"They are probably the most experienced inside pairing the game has ever had and if the Australians get quick ball, we're going to be in trouble because those two can run a game of rugby like almost no one else when they're on song," Oliver warned.
Gregan was the canniest halfback who delayed his scrum delivery or worked referees over until he was happy to feed the scrum. The Wallabies had also changed their style to use a slingshot engagement directed by their No 8, who held back their locks as he anticipated the referee's call. It was difficult to orchestrate while the All Blacks still had their tighthead prop leading the hit.
Oliver is playing his 11th test against the Wallabies, picked to start for his scrummaging expertise, with Keven Mealamu due to enter the game when players tire later in the match. In Melbourne the Wallabies managed to hoodwink referee Marius Jonker so much that the All Blacks' scrum superiority was checked.
"There was a bit of ambiguity about when we were to go in and engage," Oliver recalled, "and it is always a race to get over that gain line and get into them but you have to actually wait until the ref has said engage."
All Black forward coach Steve Hansen anticipates more of the Wallaby hijinks and has pleaded with Welsh referee Nigel Owens for greater vigilance. "We've done what we normally do," said Hansen. "We've worked hard on our technique and the things that we want to do. Obviously we're aware of what Australia will attempt to do from the last game. And we've worked on techniques for that.
"A lot of what Australia want to do will be governed by the guy in the middle and his attitude to scrummaging.
"They won't want to scrum, because they didn't want to scrum last time."
