KEY POINTS:
Had Daniel Carter not set such imperious standards we would not be so inquiring. But he has and we are.
The champion five-eighths forms such a link in the spine of the All Blacks that any misfires impact significantly.
The core strength of the side comes from Mils
Muliaina at fullback through Carter, captain Richie McCaw to tighthead prop Carl Hayman.
They are the indispensable components of the side, an observation that is underlined by the lack of selection rotation in their positions. In a team of heavy-hitters, they are the top-drawer quartet.
Others will advocate the inclusion of Chris Jack, Jerry Collins, Keven Mealamu and Byron Kelleher into that elite group but their markers are not so certain.
But approaching his 40th test tomorrow at his Christchurch headquarters, Carter needs to reverse a blip on his form curve and start the surge towards a certain tournament in September and October.
He has been a little untidy so far in the Tri-Nations. Around some of the exquisite skills he always reveals there have been rough edges to his play - the kicks out on the full, some indecision on attack, scrappy goalkicking. We have been spoiled by Carter's class too often to accept what he is producing now.
The 25-year-old is no different.
"I think I have still got plenty of room for improvement. A lot of people are judging me on the way I played over the last couple of years," he said this week.
"I have pretty high expectations. These people have high expectations on the way they want me to play as well, but I guess I am not overly happy with the way I am playing and see room for improvement.
"I think it is just a matter of time with all the hard work I am putting on the field.
"I have not changed anything and I am sure I will get the benefits of it sooner or later."
Pretty phlegmatic from Carter, but that is the way he has appeared since he first wore the famous black jersey in 2003. Probably the reason, too, why he is such a darned good player - he has an icy control when games do not go his way; he can keep cool under stress.
Most times he succeeds; sometimes he does not perform as well, which just makes him human.
When he showed those flaws at the MCG it was only the fourth defeat he had suffered in his 39 tests.
Carter did not use a lack of matchplay as an excuse for his form lull. After the conditioning programme with the All Blacks, his Super 14 involvement was restricted to six games as he struggled with a nerve problem in his neck and shoulder. A twisted ankle early in the first test against France has limited him to three tests since.
Not a huge workload but no major reason, said Carter, for his average impact. He had niggling injuries that had interrupted his rhythm but he had had no damage in the past few weeks.
"I just think to improve I have got to get more involved," he said, thinking about tomorrow's test against the Springboks.
"I have to get the ball into my hands a lot more and just sort of be the general of the All Blacks side - you know, call the moves and direct play - and I will make an emphasis on that this weekend.
"I realise there is a lot of expectation, a lot of people talking, but I have a great team here and I am pretty relaxed and looking forward to getting back out there and playing.
"I am not getting down or anything like that. I am still positive that I can play well."
He preferred to string some matches together to work into a better test match tempo and this would be his fourth successive international. He liked to play most weeks, then have a break and go again.
There was no noticeable change in Carter's demeanour this week in Christchurch; he still offered the same impassive behaviour that seems to follow him away from his sporting workplace.
"I am not at all worried. I am still positive and, like I said, I have not changed anything. I have put a lot of hard work in off the pitch and it is just a matter of time before it pays off."
Carter wondered whether the short week on the ground in Melbourne after travelling back from Durban and the subsequent later preparation had an impact on the All Blacks' dusty effort against the Wallabies.
He said the team had put a massive emphasis on a rare victory in South Africa and might have suffered some letdown at the MCG.
"We started extremely well and I thought that would continue in the second half but it obviously didn't and we weren't able to change our game. Our instruction was to keep taking it to them. We felt pretty positive and that it was only a matter of time.
"We probably did not make too many changes and the Australians changed how they were playing. We were attacking nice and tight and they started defending up nice and tight and we did not adjust our game to what the defence was doing."
Carter agreed that his thoughts regularly drifted towards the World Cup in France.
It was only natural but he used techniques to concentrate his mind on the present tasks.
"I can assure you my mind is solely focused on this weekend's game and what I have to do to prepare and be in the best shape, physically, for this."
