KEY POINTS:
BERLIN - With the whole of New Zealand demanding the World Cup is brought home, the All Blacks have tackled the weighty issue of national expectation as they seek to end the 20-year wait for the cup's return.
Having lifted the inaugural 1987 World Cup, the All Blacks have reached at least the semi-final stage of each subsequent tournament but have failed to repeat their only title triumph.
The 2007 All Blacks have been meticulously groomed and no stone has been left unturned in their quest to win the tournament in France, which starts for them on Saturday in Marseille against Italy.
The closest the men in black came was in 1995 when having smashed all-comers on the road to the final, New Zealand came unstuck when a Joel Stransky drop-goal in injury-time handed South Africa the cup.
Scrum-half Graham Bachop still remembers the pain on that June day and says the hurt has never left him.
"I am sure all the other boys that played in that game feel the pain too," said the 40-year-old, who won 31 caps for New Zealand.
Sports psychologist Gilbert Enoka has been a key part of head coach Graham Henry's backroom staff to help the players cope with expectations and being in such an intense limelight.
In the run up to the team's departure for France, well-meaning fans made a point of telling individual All Blacks how important winning the World Cup would be to them.
"The message coming through to us before we left was "You've got to win" and "you'd better do this and that", that's all incredibly negative stuff," said veteran hooker Anton Oliver.
"We know the country as a whole wants us to play well, but it's all coming at us a bit wrong.
"We could fall into a trap of trying to win the World Cup for other people or to show people that they are wrong, that's the wrong reason to do that in my opinion."
Having done away with the strong post-match drinking culture in the All Blacks ranks which existed when he took over in early 2004, Henry set up a leadership group to develop strong self-management.
Henry wanted stronger leaders and gave his squad the task of setting their own culture, ethics and punishment systems, encouraging his players to take up part-time study and hobbies to give them a focus away from rugby.
The mantra "Better people make better All Blacks" was created to help the players cope with the levels of pressure they can expect to face in France.
And captain Richie McCaw, who gained his private pilot's licence as part of the scheme, says it has helped him in his role.
"Perhaps when I was a bit younger I felt all the pressure and you wondered why you weren't enjoying playing for the All Blacks," he said.
"But you come to the realisation one day that you have to deal with the pressure and now I make sure I enjoy every moment I get.
"There is going to be a lot of hype around when the tournament starts, but it's something I am looking forward to."
Strong performances in beating the 2005 British and Irish Lions, as well as their domination of the Tri Nations, has left the All Blacks as clear World Cup favourites - a label that has not always suited them.
No tournament has passed when they haven't been considered potential winners, but after losing consecutive semi-finals in 1999 and 2003, they have been labelled "chokers".
But while a World Cup triumph would seal this side's reputation as a vintage All Blacks team, McCaw's warriors are striving to avoid being yet another New Zealand side left with the bitter taste of failure.
As Bachop added glumly: "When the 1995 final comes up in conversation amongst friends, you get that burning feeling in your stomach which comes back.
"I don't think it'll ever go away."
- AFP
