View photosKEY POINTS:
The rugby played at the playoff stage of the World Cup is distinct from any other type of rugby that our All Blacks play. Just as Ranfurly Shield games are different to ordinary provincial championship matches, there is an edge that is not present in any others.
In sudden death, there are no tomorrows.
So how do you best prepare for a type of rugby that, as a team, you've never experienced?
You need to maximise the experience of those, in terms of the individuals within the team, who have been there and experienced this type of play before.
It is also important to maximise the collective preparatory experience by fielding combinations that are as well established as is possible.
Both of these are aspects of the All Blacks preparations for yesterday's quarter-final loss to France that will be examined for some time to come.
Despite the game not being played in France, the occasion at the Millennium Stadium is one that will live long in the memory for those who were fortunate enough to be there.
In truth, the contest started even before the opening whistle when the French gave the haka absolute respect.
It was at this point that the French first began to isolate individuals within the All Black team.
They achieved this by encroaching into the All Blacks personal space as they performed the haka, and getting one on one with their opposites.
By doing this, the French players were seeking to get into the minds of their All Black counterparts, to reinforce the magnitude of the challenge ahead.
It was a successful tactic: certainly it set the tone for the way the game subsequently played out.
If there was to be an irony in the way the game transpired, it would be that at the hour mark anyhow it was looming as the perfect preparation for the All Blacks ahead of the semifinals and finals, provided they finished the job against the French first.
History tells us that no team, apart from the All Blacks in 1987, have ever won the World Cup without being severely tested in at least one close contest.
Instead, all we can contemplate now is the fact that we have been reminded - once again - that whatever happens prior to contests of this nature holds no real relevance, aside from creating a level of expectation that can be counter productive once it enters the minds of the players involved.
