KEY POINTS:
There is no back off instruction from All Black scrum coach Mike Cron as he prepares his pack for tonight's second World Cup test against Portugal.
It is an international and the new front row wants to state their selection case, while Portugal scrummed adequately in their opening match against Scotland.
Safety issues in the scrum have been in the forefront of discussions this week as the tournament favourites ready for this test in Lyon against the largely amateur Los Lobos combination.
Coach Graham Henry mentioned his team would have to be "sensitive" to the calibre of the Portuguese opposition.
The new All Black frontrow of Greg Somerville, Andrew Hore and Neemia Tialata had to be allowed to show their calibre, Cron said.
"If things look unsafe we will put the call out for safety."
The All Blacks had encountered something similar in trial games before they left for the World Cup. Cron said the All Blacks scrum had missed seven weeks work since the end of the Tri-Nations and were about three weeks away from hitting their peak which had them at or near the best unit in the world.
