All Blacks

The scrum weapons

In a world of constant change, front row forwards are reassuringly immune to new ideas with the All Black tight five primed to make the Bledisloe all about the set-piece.

ANZ Stadium will be cluttered with world class backs and miracle men who can turn the game on an act of brilliance but the outcome, so the behemoths reckon, will still effectively hinge on the quality of possession produced by the respective teams.

Nothing really changes in the world of the tight five — the test football buck stops with them. It’s not possible to showcase the beauty unless the beast is just as prominent. Physical presence is everything. A dominant scrum is priceless and a supply of clean ball off the top of the lineout imperative to both sides’ attacking ambitions.

“It's important in any game,” said lock Brodie Retallick when asked if winning the war up front will be the key to Saturday’s test. “Whoever dominates up front is probably going to get the win at the end of the day.”

The Wallabies must hate the constant cloud that hangs over their tight five: the court of public opinion hasn’t been kind about them in the past decade.

From All Black coach Steve Hansen down to casual armchair analysts, opinion is consistent that New Zealand’s advantage lies in their superior scrum, lineout and presence in the collision. It’s been this way for more than a decade and despite the Waratahs’ recent Super Rugby success, there has been little reason for that perception to be altered.

Until the Wallabies’ tight five actually deliver a string of impressive, physical performances, the All Blacks are going to fancy they can win the war upfront every time they play.

“I’d like to think that is the mindset we take into all the tests we play whether it is the Wallabies or not,” says veteran hooker Keven Mealamu. “There is a real emphasis on making sure we nail our set-piece because we can launch off that and set our backs