Far from hunting wounded prey, the All Blacks expect the embattled Wallabies to be a dangerous beast on Saturday night and play out of their skins at Suncorp Stadium.
New Zealand coach Steve Hansen and his backline general Conrad Smith both predicted a major backlash from their Bledisloe rivals despite the Kurtley Beale scandal, internal ructions and constant coaching speculation that has the ravaged code the past fortnight.
But the canny Hansen did warn that his world champions, smarting from their first loss in 23 Tests, were primed to make Australia suffer even more if they weren't rock solid as a unit.
"When a team is under siege as they are at the moment then one of two things can happen," he said of the Wallabies.
"Either they unite and come out and play really well or they crumble to the pressure of it.
"I don't see them crumbling. They're too good of a team.
"Our job is to go out and put as much pressure as we can on the park and that's what we're trying to do."
Hansen is a regular pot-stirrer in Bledisloe battles but wasn't about to poke his arch-rivals, even hoping the Wallabies could quickly solve their problems because southern hemisphere rugby need Australia "firing on all cylinders".
He admitted his team had taken little notice of the dramas facing rival coach Ewen McKenzie, with Michael Cheika and Jake White being suggested as instant replacements if there's another trans-Tasman massacre.
Only two months ago, it was McKenzie imploring the All Blacks to bring their A-game to Eden Park after Australia got the better of the 12-12 series opener in Sydney.
They responded with a seven-try 51-20 pounding that ensured the Bledisloe Cup would stay on Kiwi soil for a 12th straight year.
"All we know is they're copping it and that will make them stronger," Hansen said. "The Wallabies have certainly got their backs to the wall and they've got nowhere to go but come out and show their fans and themselves that they are good rugby players, and I don't think that's in question.
"I see them being a very dangerous beast this week."
The All Blacks, who haven't won in their last two trips to Brisbane, are also braced for Adam Ashley-Cooper's 100th Test to galvanise an Australian outfit looking to reward their popular vice-captain.
While Smith praised "Mr Fix-It" Ashley-Cooper's all-round talent and versatility, the world-class centre said turbulent times had a habit in bringing out the best in teams.
"I think it just helps if anything - it fuels the fire," he said. "You get through stuff like that and you just want to play rugby and I think that's the feeling we've even got."
Quade Cooper looms as the joker in the pack for McKenzie, who can call on his returning playmaker as a second-half game-breaker if the scoreline is tight.
Hansen is also wary.
"He's similar to Kurtley," he said. "Coming off the bench he'll be really energetic and when he's on he's a super player - he's magical.
"It's a long time since he's played Test footy so he may be a bit rusty but what he'll bring is a lot of enthusiasm."
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