The All Blacks will attack Australia as they seek the victory in Sydney on Saturday which will allow them to retain the Bledisloe Cup, a cherished old trophy they have held since 2002, and one of the biggest targets in their sights is the Wallabies' scrum.
It just so happens that the Wallabies' scrum coach is one Mike Cron, the New Zealander working in tandem with fellow Kiwi Joe Schmidt across the Ditch who has a long history of success with the All Blacks and Black Ferns and who was a mentor to Jason Ryan.
The Kiwi element at the Wallabies will likely dominate the build-up to the Test at Allianz Stadium in Homebush and both Ryan, the All Blacks' forwards coach, and hooker Codie Taylor spoke fondly of the pair today.
"I enjoyed working with Joe and obviously Crono has been a mentor," Ryan said.
"I probably didn't think he'd be coaching Australia to be fair but one thing I really respected about Crono was that he rung and told me — he gave me the heads up before it was public … the All Blacks have been a massive part of his life.
"It's the coaching world isn't it I guess? We're in a game where we just don't know what's next."
That applies to Ryan, too, who was called up by Scott Robertson's predecessor Ian Foster in 2022 and asked whether he would like to help with a pack that was underperforming badly just over 12 months out from the World Cup. Ryan, helping with Fiji at the time, didn't hesitate to say yes.
There is no doubt Cron is a master of his craft, but there are limits even to his talents as far as the Wallabies, struggling for confidence after being thrashed by Argentina recently, are concerned.
Taylor said: "He's done a lot for New Zealand rugby, he's sort of transcended the game for the forward pack in the past … I'm sure he'll be instilling a lot of knowledge in their forward pack. He's a bit of a guru, he always has been. He'll be looking at ways to target opportunities he may have seen."
He added: "It's a good challenge, we know those coaches really well. They'll be preparing to come at us and that's what you want."
The All Blacks' scrum has performed well this year. It got them out of jail to a large extent during the England series and it demolished Argentina's set piece at Eden Park.
A big factor in the All Blacks' defeat to the Pumas in Wellington was the fact there were only four scrums in total in the match.
And, overall, it stood up well to the Springboks' scrum, probably considered the best in the world, during the two recent defeats in South Africa.
The All Blacks' front row has been strengthened by the return of loosehead prop Ethan de Groot from a neck injury, and, while back-up tighthead prop Fletcher Newell is out with a calf problem, in de Groot, Tamaiti Williams, Tyrel Lomax and Ofa Tu'ungafasi, plus in-form hooker Taylor, the All Blacks have a front row that will present problems on Saturday.
Should that transpire, Damian McKenzie, assuming he will start at No.10, will have a lot more time and space to spark an attack that failed to cross the tryline against the Boks in Cape Town.
On the other hand, Wallabies prop Taniela Tupou has a big reputation as a ball carrier but less so as a scrummager, a perception hinted at by Ryan today.
Taylor, wary of the threat the Wallabies pose — or All Blacks' complacency, at least — urged caution.
"It's not going to be easy," he said. "It's an Aussie team that some people may be talking negatively about but we're not making assumptions and definitely aren't taking it lightly.
"We're in Sydney, we're at their home ground. Australia can do anything on their day and we've seen that in the past.
"There's already a bit of edge and it's only a Monday."
Ryan said: "When you don't get the victories you naturally look harder at yourselves and that's what we've done. We've looked harder at our own areas … let's not sugar coat it, we've just lost two Tests in a row. We've done that and we are optimistic about where we are heading.
"We're not underestimating them at all. It could be a classic."
The Bledisloe Cup's importance to New Zealand has already been covered off by the coaches this week, as has the importance of attack as a defence mechanism.
"The 22 years, we've got to be careful there because it's all about the Test that's in front of us," Ryan said.
"We know the history is there and the legacy and that's special for what it is but each Test is different and this one will be as well."
After two defeats to the world champions, the All Blacks can't afford to drop another.
Should they do so, the Bledisloe Cup will be Australia's if they win a week later in Wellington, a place where the All Blacks haven't tasted success since 2018.
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