A revamped New Zealand side will bid on Sunday to achieve what no team in the professional era has done and win all their Test matches in a calendar year by beating Ireland at Lansdowne Road.
Coach Steve Hansen has introduced seven changes to the starting line-up but he is confident the fresher faces can round off the perfect year.
Their opponents - coached by New Zealander Joe Schmidt - face an awesome task.
Not only have they never beaten the All Blacks, they lost 60-0 the last time they met in Hamilton last year.
No international team in the professional era has enjoyed a perfect calendar year, with the All Blacks side led by Wayne Shelford - that won all seven of their Tests in 1989 - the last major nation to achieve the feat when rugby union was still an amateur sport.
However, New Zealand came close to it again when they won 11 games and drew one under John Hart in 1997.
Hansen, who was assistant coach to Graham Henry when the All Blacks won the World Cup on home soil two years ago, is adamant that even with the radical changes, and without the experience of injured duo Dan Carter and Tony Woodcock, the side can create history.
"We've had a big, physical game against Argentina, another physical performance in Johannesburg, a lot of running and chasing in Dunedin, then France was physical and England was physical," said the 54-year-old, whose side will be bidding to make it 14 wins from 14 matches.
"It's just the accumulation of a lot of travel and game-time. We need fresh legs and we've got ability sitting there fresh, so why not use them?"
A lot of eyes will be fixed on Carter's replacement at fly-half, 24-year-old Aaron Cruden, but assistant coach Ian Foster has few doubts about his ability.
"Cruden can be very satisfied with his year as he has started a fair amount of Tests and run the games really well, especially the first Test of the Rugby Championship against Australia (All Blacks won 47-29)," Foster said.
For Schmidt, it is not a case of his suppressing his loyalties to his homeland, it is a case of delivering a good performance from a squad he says are a fine bunch of lads and in which he has placed his faith in fly-half Johnny Sexton coming through despite a week spent battling a hamstring injury.
"This is a terrific group of guys who I have every faith in and if we avoid our defensive lapses from last week, we can match them," he said.
"It is a huge challenge but I always stick to the principle that in a two-horse race anyone can win it."
However, 48-year-old Schmidt is under no illusions of the size of the task facing his side.
"(The All Blacks) don't have vulnerable moments. Even when the other team is pressing them on their line, they turn the ball over and you are scrabbling back to prevent them scoring a try.
"They do not feel the pressure. They are a team for all seasons."
Share
