South Africa and Australia have shown the world how to beat the All Blacks but Dan Carter says the New Zealanders still have one or two tricks up their sleeves to counter the inevitable defensive onslaught on the way.
High retrievable kicks and rush defence will be the two main strategies for all New Zealand's World Cup opponents after the team's back-to-back defeats in the Tri-Nations.
It's not pretty to watch, but frills don't win World Cups. After playing major pool threat France, the All Blacks could potentially face Argentina, South Africa and Australia in the knockout matches and, although the Springboks and Wallabies have an intimate knowledge of the New Zealand game, the French and South Americans will have been busy taking notes.
In the age of the video analyst, there aren't too many on-field secrets left in top-level rugby.
Carter agrees the All Blacks will have to get used to accepting the ball under extreme pressure, a strategy used most effectively by the Wallabies, who skipped out to a 20-3 lead in Brisbane recently without pausing for breath.