There is only one change to the All Black side for their semi-final meeting with the Springboks but it is just possible it could be a significant one for the odds-on tournament favourites with loosehead prop Wyatt Crockett having been ruled out because of a groin injury.
That means Joe Moody, called up to their squad only last week when Tony Woodcock’s 119 cap career ended prematurely due to injury, must start and be a key figure in their scrummage against opponents who will certainly target that area as one where they can impose their game on the tournament favourites.
The scale of the task facing the South Africans is, however, outlined by the experience of the man who will leads their opponents, Richie McCaw having enjoyed more wins over them than any other player with 19 wins in all.
McCaw will also set a new tournament record this weekend by captaining his country for the 12th time in a World Cup match and barring serious injury McCaw is also certain to match another tournament record of 22 appearances set by Jason Leonard, while in terms of tournament and Test records those of Ma’a Nonu, who has won 10 successive matches against the Springboks and Keven Mealamu, whose run of 14 successive wins in World Cup matches is yet another tournament record, make no better reading for the Springboks.
Admittedly records are there to be broken, but unless the Springboks - whose praise of his side Steve Hansen, the All Blacks coach, rejected as a tactic yesterday - can fully capitalise on that possible vulnerability in the scrum it is hard to see how they are likely to challenge a team that so ruthlessly took France apart in the quarter-finals.
Furthermore the desire to keep the team as settled as possible is the latest indicator of the change of gear that has taken place in the All Black camp since the knockout stages got underway.
Clearly there would have been no changes at all had Crocket been fit to play and the last time the All Blacks named an unchanged team at a World Cup was between the semi-finals and the final which they won last time around.
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