Two Tests into the Dave Rennie era, the new All Blacks coach is prioritising continuity over experimentation, and the man plotting to beat them in August has been taking notes.
Rennie made five changes to his starting side to face Italy in Wellington but resisted the temptation to overhaul a team still finding its feet. Tupou Vaa'i returns from concussion, with Wallace Sititi, Leroy Carter, Billy Proctor and Tyrel Lomax also coming in. The headline debut is Anton Segner, the 24-year-old Blues flanker who would become the first German-born All Black, named on a bench that also includes outside back Josh Moorby.
"We've got a lot of depth, a lot of competition for places," Rennie said. "But I guess we're keen to keep some combinations together and get a little bit of continuity."
That philosophy left some big names out, including 35-year-old Beauden Barrett, absent from the matchday 23 despite catching the eye in training.
"Beauden's been excellent. He's contributing really well, training really well. He carved us up a handful of times today," Rennie said. "But again, I gave Ruben his first Test at 10 last week, he played really well, and now he's back at home with the connection with these guys."
Rennie was similarly frank on the others left waiting. On lock Patrick Tuipulotu: "Patty was pretty close; we made a call on Monday. He's had niggles all year, and I don't think he's ever really been 100 per cent when he's been out there." Of uncapped flanker Simon Parker, he said: "Simon's been great; we've got unbelievable depth in that loose forward group. His time will come."
The selections came after a pulsating 34-32 win over France that launched Rennie's reign. Watching from afar, Springbok boss Rassie Erasmus, whose side hosts the All Blacks in the Rugby Championship, offered a verdict laced with both admiration and intent.
"It was exciting to watch," Erasmus said. "For me, the one overwhelming feeling from that game, and this is not to criticise, it's when a team got into the 22, you thought the other team was going to score."
Then came the word that travelled. "It just looked frantic but not in a bad way. It was busy, exciting, and dynamic," Erasmus said. "I thought it was a really high-intensity game where both teams ran each other off their feet, which was great to watch."
Erasmus, never one to hand over a compliment without a purpose, noted the individual danger in Rennie's group. "I thought it was high-intensity with lots of guys that have X-factor and those things," he said, the kind of assessment that doubles as a scouting report.
For Rennie, Italy in Wellington is a chance to bed in combinations before sterner examinations arrive. He has depth, as he keeps pointing out, and a clear preference for letting partnerships breathe rather than reshuffling for its own sake. Whether that patience survives contact with the Springboks, and Erasmus's evident interest, is the question already forming over a promising start.
