All Blacks: Kaino - we have to meet intensity

Jerome Kaino. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Ironman Jerome Kaino is the only All Black to have played every one of the team's 400 minutes at the World Cup.

But the blindside flanker is heading into new territory against the Wallabies on Sunday after missing the sides' last clash in August when the All Blacks fell 25-20 in Brisbane.

Kaino was back in Auckland preparing for the birth of his second child as the Wallabies cleaned up the best combination the All Blacks could muster.

He is in the same city this week but in full training kit, ready to lead the defensive line and continue the form which must have him in the national honours list for player of the year.

Kaino's form has been strong, it exudes authority and accuracy and has been a radiant glow, while his loose forward colleagues Richie McCaw and Kieran Read have been lowered by injury. Kaino was winded and hurt an ankle during another strong performance in last week's run against Argentina. He ran off both knocks during the match.

A World Cup semifinal is something different, though. Of the present squad, only McCaw, Ali Williams and Keven Mealamu have experienced one - 2003 against the Wallabies in Sydney. That did not go well.

This time the venue is Eden Park, a fortress against Australian sides since 1986 and a venue which gives Kaino some degree of comfort. The surroundings are familiar but this is a semifinal and a trip into the unknown for most of the squad.

"If we win the physical battle it goes a long way towards winning the contest," Kaino said. "Nothing changes, we just have to meet the intensity that semifinal rugby brings."

He said the team was relaxed, but he was doing his research ahead of Sunday's 9pm start.

"The loss to the Wallabies was hugely motivating, the guys definitely want to improve after that performance and I'm sure the guys wanted another game to build into the World Cup after that performance but it wasn't to be.

"We're looking forward to seeing them again.

"We see them as our No 1 foe."

Quade Cooper might be depicted as Public Enemy No 1 in New Zealand but Kaino said the All Blacks would not single anyone out because there were Wallaby threats across the park.

Flanker David Pocock, a critical component in the Wallabies' win at Brisbane, showed once more against the Boks last week how effective Australia were at turning the ball over and securing possession.

Halfback Will Genia was also very sharp in his control of the ruck and the tempo of the game, All Black halfback Andy Ellis noted.

"The breakdown in particular is going to be such a massive part of the game," Ellis said. "Because if they don't get that front foot ball it is hard for him to run and hard for him to put players in space.

"It is a really big part of the game, we have talked about it and we have trained things to overcome that so it will be really interesting for a good part of the game."

It was hard to say what the teams' familiarity would mean because this World Cup semifinal was likely to be the biggest game most of the team had played.

"I suppose we will have to find that out there. I don't know if you can buy in to too much that has happened in previous years," said Ellis.

It was a case of the All Blacks concentrating on their game and what they wanted to achieve rather than trying to channel some grievances from Brisbane.

"We can get some great learnings from it [Brisbane] and we know how physically they came out and played and they really took it to us and our tight five and they were able to play off that."