Mystical haka should inspire not intimidate

This is it. The biggest challenge in rugby has arrived for the scotland team today — playing the All Blacks. This is the game that every kid who has ever played rugby wants to play in. When i was that kid, i wanted to play against England, primarily because my Grandpa had got his cap against them, and the All Blacks.

They had such mystique when i was growing up because we didn’t see them very often so, when we did, it was very special indeed.

The first time i saw them live was the game in 1983 at Murrayfield when scotland drew against them in the mist and fog. Little did i know then that this was the closest scotland were going to get to a win to this day.

Everything about them made them special. The black strip, their skills, their physicality when the game wasn’t that physical and, of course, the haka. The magical haka.

i loved watching it, mimicking it at home in front of the TV and then, ultimately, facing it.

it is one of the great traditions in rugby that i hope will remain with us forever because it is special for the players who face it, the crowd that witness it live and for the millions watching it on the TV.

One of the most-asked questions i get is: ‘What was it like to face the haka?’. The answer is simple: it was magic.

People think it is intimidating but if you are intimidated about the opposition doing a war dance two minutes before you are about to play the best team in the world, then, quite simply, you should not be on the pitch in the first place.

it is like when you hear the anthems sung at Cardiff or Paris; you need to embrace them and let them inspire you to perform in that arena rather than intimidate you.

Playing the All Blacks is as much mental as it is physical. Too many teams are beaten before they step on the pitch because they are playing the All Blacks.

scotland proved last week that they have improvements to make in both the mental and the physical side of the game.

When stuart Mcinally scored his second try of the match against samoa not long into the second half, scotland had the game well and truly won at 32-10. instead of coasting to a comfortable win, they dropped off mentally which meant they dropped off physically, as well, and allowed samoa to get back into the game.

They looked lightweight in defence when samoa were running close and tight. The intensity dropped.

it is simple. if scotland defend today like we did last week, we will get annihilated. But we will not defend like that because we are playing the All Blacks.

That alone will mean that the focus will be there and the intensity will be there because the challenge is that scotland are playing against the best team in the world and that is a huge motivating factor.

The players will be driven to work that bit harder, run that bit faster and play that bit better simply because of who they are playing.

This game comes at a great time for this scotland squad and their development. There have been huge improvements over the last few years in all aspects of their game, so this is the chance to test all of this against the best.

scotland score tries for fun; can they do it against New Zealand? scotland defended heroically when beating Australia in sydney; can they do it against New Zealand?

Jonny Gray has great work-rate; how does it compare to sam Whitelock and is it as effective?

Ali Price has a good service; how does it compare to Aaron smith, who fizzes the ball out, which creates so much space for the outside backs?

Finn Russell gets better and better and could be world-class; how will he match up against the best stand-off in the world in Beauden Barrett? Alex Dunbar leads the line in defence and attack; how will he do against the ‘enforcer’ that is sonny Bill Williams?

stuart hogg loves attacking when the game is loose; how will he cope against the All Blacks, who have a brilliant scrambling defence? Gregor Townsend has a brilliant rugby brain and is great tactically; how will he compare against a man who has won two World Cups in steve hansen?

All these questions, and more, will be answered this afternoon, which will tell us so much more about this current scotland squad and coaches, and where they are both physically and mentally. The challenge does not get any bigger than playing the mighty

All Blacks.