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LYON - It's not often that Lyon, the gastronomic capital of France, is compared with gritty South African stronghold Bloemfontein but optimistic All Blacks rugby supporters have been mentioning both in the same breath this week.
The New Zealand team arrived here today, two days out from playing Portugal in a match that holds certain parallels to another World Cup pool game 12 years ago, the 145-17 crushing of Japan in South Africa.
At the 1995 tournament, an All Blacks team playing with verve and confidence easily accounted for Ireland and Wales before introducing their restless second-string players to face the tournament minnows at Bloemfontein.
The outcome was a 21-try annihilation and a score that remains a record for the most points in a test.
First five-eighth Simon Culhane kicked 45 points and centre Marc Ellis crossed for six tries, both still New Zealand records.
This week's All Blacks field 11 changes from the team who sizzled in beating Italy 76-14 last Saturday, setting a standard that their replacements will be desperate to duplicate.
Portugal's Los Lobos will be equally keen to avoid carnage but their amateur players may find there is little they can do to prevent an avalanche of scoring if conditions allow at Stade de Gerland and if the All Blacks are in the mood.
The words of captain Jerry Collins won't have them sleeping restfully in the leadup.
"We'll be going full on, you get hurt if you go soft. I haven't come all this way to go 50-50," Collins said.
"Some of us like (fellow-loose forwards) Sione Lauaki or Chris Masoe, that's how we get paid, to play the way we play. If we're going to go easy, it doesn't fit within our game plan."
Collins sensed a desire from the players not involved in the Italy game to make a statement, while there were also team objectives to meet.
"We understand that hopefully we're going to be here for a long period of time. There are things we need to nail before we get to the tougher games."
Collins wouldn't discuss specific targets although he indicated that one was to keep their structure if the scoreline blows out, something they couldn't manage in the latter stages last weekend.
Hooker Andrew Hore, making just his sixth start in 22 tests, was desperate to fight his way into the top side who will play Scotland in Edinburgh next week.
He was unconcerned that his chance came against a team the All Blacks are expected to crush, thereby putting an asterisk next to any top individual performances.
"It comes down to making sure you do your own job," Hore said.
"You've still got to throw the ball in straight and stuff like that. They're things that if you can get them right then you should be right."
As usual the performance of Isaia Toeava will be of high interest, this time starting on the right wing.
Centre remains the most hotly-contested position in the team and Conrad Smith returns from injury to start there, pushing Toeava out one place and the third option, Mils Muliaina, back to his favoured role at fullback.
Assistant coach Wayne Smith said Toeava had enough skill to adjust quickly to the new role and enough speed to make an instant impact there.
"He's now a valued contributor to the team, he understands that, he's now a genuine All Black and he contributed well when he came on (against Italy)," Smith said.
"Six tackles, two turnovers (won), which is what we wanted to see."
Toeava agreed he was feeling considerably more comfortable in the side than when he made his nervous test debut against Scotland nearly two years ago.
A visit to the team last Thursday from former captain Tana Umaga, now coaching at nearby Toulon, was a highlight for the 21-year-old.
Both teams arrived in Lyon today, Portugal not until announcing nine starting changes from the team who lost 10-56 to Scotland on Sunday.
- NZPA
