Tongan supporters in Auckland
By Robert Lowe
The All Blacks will pay Tonga plenty of respect when the two sides raise the curtain on the Rugby World Cup in Auckland on tonight.
While most pundits are predicting a one-sided contest, assistant coach Wayne Smith cites Tonga's recent cup record and their physical threat for why there's no complacency in the New Zealand camp.
He remembers how, in 2007, Tonga ran eventual champions South Africa close before losing 30-25 in pool play and were far from disgraced in exiting at the hands of runners-up, England.
He sees danger in the big runners they have up front, like prop Soane Tonga'uiha, hooker Aleki Lutui, No 8 Viliami Ma'afu and flanker and skipper Finau Maka.
But Smith is happy the All Blacks are getting a tough physical workout first up.
"You don't want a soft pool and we haven't got one," he says.
"They will test us physically and they will test us with their athleticism.
"We don't lack physicality ourselves, so it should be a cracking match."
New Zealand's easy run through the pool stages four years ago - their narrowest win was 40-0 over Scotland - is often blamed for not preparing them adequately for the knockout stages.
This time around, their preliminary opponents include France, their World Cup bete noire and their undoing in 2007.
Asked how much the All Blacks had grown mentally since that 20-18 quarter-final defeat to the French in Cardiff, Smith says the squad had faced plenty of adversity since then.
They've fronted up, come through and compiled a good record together, he says.
"The proof of the pudding will be rising to this occasion and that's what we're trying to do."
NZN