KEY POINTS:
CARDIFF - "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it".
It is perhaps fortunate then that the All Blacks have a clear recollection of what happened at Twickenham on Halloween in 1999.
But they do not read from exactly the same playbook as Spanish philosopher George Santayana.
France's magical 43-31 World Cup rugby semifinal win over New Zealand eight years ago has lurked in the background all week here in the leadup to a quarterfinal between the same teams on Sunday (NZT).
Yet few from this New Zealand team - or the French one for that matter - will use it as a reference point, as inspiration, or as motivation.
One player prepared to be transported back to one of rugby's great days is French captain Raphael Ibanez.
As he will at Millennium Stadium, Ibanez wore the blue hooker's jersey on that unforgettable afternoon when his inspired team came storming back to condemn New Zealand to a defeat the world never saw coming.
"There are images which remain in our head of what we did but that game is also a double-edged sword because the All Blacks can also use it as a weapon to motivate themselves," Ibanez said.
"If you start looking at the exploits of the past, then you also have to see the exploits of the All Blacks' recent games against us. You have to recognise that they are the best in the world."
Indeed, it is hard to think of a more lopsided relationship in recent years than that between these two superpowers.
New Zealand have won their last seven tests against France, and in the last five meetings scored 218 points to 41.
Yet coach Graham Henry and the New Zealand coaching staff put as little credence on this dominant run as they do on the 1999 Cup boilover.
Pragmatic assistant coach Steve Hansen said little could be gleaned from one-off matches in the past.
Also, trying to garner a psychological edge from consecutive wins over a rival was also fraught with danger.
"Most of these guys have performed well against France in the past," Hansen said.
"But whatever's happened before 8 o'clock on Saturday doesn't matter.
"If that was the case, you'd never lose."
The mental approach this week was instead about looking forward to a game that will see one of the tournament's marquee teams eliminated.
"You're talking about human beings and obviously people feel things differently on the day that they perform," he said.
"One day I might be feeling a million bucks and you'll be feeling about five cents.
"That's the nature of sport, that's why see great players like (Roger) Federer in tennis beaten from time to time."
Fellow assistant Wayne Smith expected the French mindset to also be set in the present, with the pride of their country a strong motivating factor.
"The key challenge from France will be their passion, it's their tournament," Smith said.
"I'm sure when they gave this game to Wales, they were hoping they weren't going to be here.
"They've got to win to stay in the tournament so our expectations are that they'll be at their best ... I think that'll turn it into a great game."
All Blacks captain Richie McCaw also believed past results had little psychological bearing but sheer weight of experience was a different matter.
More than half this squad had been to at least one of the last two failed World Cup campaigns.
"There are guys who have been through the 1999 and 2003 experiences in this team," McCaw said.
"We've been through a lot of different experiences since then which hopefully you call upon to know what's required.
"We've just got to put faith in what we've done the last couple of years. Hopefully we're getting better and better as we go along."
The All Blacks will start firm favourites to win on Sunday and advance to a semifinal in Paris the following weekend.
That match could well be against Australia, by which time the World Cup history books will have received another going over.
Meanwhile, the sideshow surrounding what colour jersey New Zealand will wear rolled slowly on yesterday.
Broadcasters and the International Rugby Board (IRB) continued to contrast the colours of both of the All Blacks' playing options - the traditional black strip and the alternate grey - with France's blue or white uniforms.
But for a third day, the IRB could not reach a conclusion.
Resolution is now expected tomorrow, with some people waiting more anxiously for the result than others.
French winger Vincent Clerc was placing great store on the outcome.
"Maybe they will be less strong," Clerc said of a New Zealand team clad in grey.
"When you see an All Black man in black he is very strong. Maybe in grey it will be easier for us to win."
- NZPA
