The All Blacks have revealed how one of their darkest rugby days had set them up for a decade of international rugby dominance.
In the lead-up to Saturday's second Test against France in Wellington, coach Steve Hansen was asked if he was still haunted by their quarter-final loss to the French at the 2007 World Cup.
Rather than reflecting on their worst result at the showpiece tournament as a negative, Hansen said it had driven his and subsequent New Zealand teams on to greater things.
They've lost just 15 of 138 Tests since and won both World Cup titles on offer.
Hansen believes his team are less vulnerable to upsets than they had been before the Cardiff boilover.
"One of the big lessons we learned is if you don't plan for the unexpected, you're going to get smacked by it," Hansen said.
"It was a painful day in All Black history and particularly for the people who were involved in it. I think that game has had a significant bearing on what's happened since."
Hansen and his men are therefore not being lulled into bravado after last week's 52-11 win in Auckland.
A French team featuring five starting changes are still smarting from a Test that had been locked at 11-11 with half-an-hour remaining before the floodgates opened.
Coach Jacques Brunel this week slammed the work rate of his loose forwards.
Captain Mathieu Bastareaud took it a step further.
"Last week, we defend like a kid," the outside centre said.
"We have to show that we are a team, not just a selection of players. We have a good atmosphere in the group but we have to show that on the field."
For inspiration, Bastareaud pointed to the French side who upset their New Zealand counterparts at the world under-20 championship semi-finals this week in Perpignan.
All Blacks skipper Sam Whitelock wants a superior first half from his unchanged team, as they chase a 13th-straight win over Les Bleus.
"If we go out there and start well, hopefully that will give ourselves the opportunity to have a complete performance, rather than waiting for later in the game like we did last week," he said.
