KEY POINTS:
Talk about timing his run. In what has been a superb season, maybe the best in his seven years in the black jersey, Doug Howlett has been smacking over all sorts of records.
During a year when he became the seventh New Zealander to play 100 Super rugby games, he set a 59-try record for the tournament, to ease his way past Joe Roff's mark.
Now he is set to snap Christian Cullen's 46-try test record, a feat he must be favoured to achieve against Scotland on Monday because of the way the All Blacks use the width of the field.
Howlett started his scoring exploits with his first touch as a replacement against Tonga in 2000. In his first game of this World Cup he scored a hat-trick against Italy to share Cullen's mark.
In early January, the pair are trading places at the Munster club in Ireland with Cullen's knee unable to handle the rigours of rugby any more, while Howlett, who turns 29 today, is off on a new adventure with his wife and baby.
It is all in the timing or "touches", as Howlett would prefer. His standout features this season have been his workrate and defence to complement the speed and finishing skills on the right wing.
His aim is to touch the ball about 15 times in a match and to make strong decisions with the ball or as a decoy runner.
Early on in his career, Howlett looked to emulate the all-action style of his former captain Tana Umaga.
"Whether that was because he was a centre who moved to the wing I don't know, but he was all over the field and that was when I came into the All Blacks and that was how I wanted to play the game," Howlett recalled. "Over the years I have just tried to develop that technique, really.
"As a wing you have got to finish moves and chase kicks but now you are making a lot of tackles, you are in and around rucks and mauls and it is a very enjoyable position to play in," he said.
The year began uncertainly for Howlett when he was excluded from the 22-man All Black conditioning squad but he quickly used his omission as a stage to demand a return for his second World Cup.
"I have just gone about my business this year. I haven't got worried or stressed too much about selections and just made a point of enjoying my rugby," he said.
"I was taken aback at first, [missing conditioning] it was quite tough to swallow but you can turn it around and make the most of the opportunity and that gave me a Super 14 window where I was playing to stake a claim for an All Black spot.
"They decided Joe [Rokocoko] and Sitiveni [Sivivatu] would benefit more from the conditioning. They just felt I was at a good level of fitness, that I did not need to be in the window and they kept me playing."
Howlett had planned on working on his speed, niggling injuries and strength work through the early part of the year but showed in the games he had for the Blues that he could not be ignored. He believes he is close to the speed he had in his early days of national athletics, he is feeling sharp and thinks his rugby experience has helped him sniff out the golden try opportunities.
If he sets the new mark at Murrayfield, he will take enormous satisfaction from his feat but, like his team-mates, has his sights on a much bigger prize in Paris late next month.
He has spoken to Cullen in New Zealand this year, they played together for some time in the All Blacks and will hook up after the World Cup.
Howlett said his All Black career had been a rollercoaster trip at times but immensely enjoyable.
He did not know too much about Munster other than they had a number of test players and a strong track record, including that famous 1978 victory against the All Blacks.
He picked Ireland as his next rugby stop for 2 1/2 years because it was an English-speaking nation, he loved their enthusiasm for sport and the fan base.
Howlett has not thought beyond that contract or whether a return to top rugby in New Zealand and a tilt at the 2011 World Cup is possible. " I am just looking to enjoy my time in Europe and we'll see after that."
