KEY POINTS:
The Loose Forwards
Scotland are comfortable with the quality of their loose trio. They have two British Lions in Simon Taylor and Jason White and a hugely promising openside in John Barclay.
The Scottish No 7 recently spent a club season in Auckland playing at University and was a player who caught Daniel Braid's eye.
The Scots will present a serious challenge at the breakdown. The game won't be decided at the breakdown but it will determine the length of time it takes the All Blacks to get on top.
Liam Messam, Adam Thomson and Kieran Read boast less then eight caps between them. That is about as inexperienced a back-row as the All Blacks have ever fielded and so much of New Zealand's performance will be dictated by how quickly those three settle.
Isaia Toeava
The Scots have picked a side that will look to keep the ball in hand. But their staple play will be to boot the ball high or behind the All Blacks.
Isaia Toeava will be frequently involved. He's a confidence player. If his first act is a positive contribution then he could go on to have an inspiring game.
If the All Blacks spend the match returning kicks they need to have confidence in their fullback. Toeava was in form in Hong Kong and if he can find it again in Edinburgh then the All Blacks could turn kick receipts into their most formidable weapon.
The Weather
Edinburgh has not put on its best face this week. It has rained and rained. And it has been cold. That shouldn't really matter but it does.
The All Blacks will find the conditions tough. Edinburgh can be brutal. Fingers feel fat when they get as cold as they will. Bones feel chilled when temperatures drop close to zero. The ball gets greasy. The surface cuts up, the wind blows through you.
It will put doubt in minds and make players nervous about throwing the ball into wider channels.
Wayne Barnes
The referee is another factor beyond the control of the All Blacks and should never be a factor. But like the weather, Barnes will have a say in the outcome.
In Wales last year, Barnes froze on the big occasion. He forgot he was there in control of the game. He seemed to think someone else would make decisions for him.
The danger 13 months on, is that he tries to over compensate for his previous sins by favouring New Zealand. He'll know that every decision he makes against the All Blacks will be scrutinized so he might just play safe and avoid making calls against the All Blacks.
Ma'a Nonu and Richard Kahui
The All Black midfield has the potential to cause serious damage. Both Nonu and Kahui are big men, they are strong and they are comfortable on the ball.
If they combine well, they could rip through Scotland and break the line almost every time they have the ball.
It might take them 60 minutes. They are the kind of players who eventually, because of their size, wear down opponents and weaken them. The Scots need to get shoulders behind tackles and that gets increasingly hard in the final quarter when fatigue sets in.
