Andy Robinson was a little too polite when he described the All Blacks as playing "on the edge". In fact they often teeter over when it comes to the law book.

They are fast and physical - sometimes too physical. A Jerry Collins tackle has the air of a straight-arm job at times, and when it comes to clearing out rucks there is an element of the indiscriminate. At the breakdown All Black bodies mysteriously appear on the wrong side.

But it is in attack where they have developed a new technique, or rather refined an old one.

In the past we have seen shepherding and lazy running which amount to obstruction. Now we have slow walkers - two or three forwards who linger between the All Black attackers and their opposition. Legally they are not obstructing, but they do form a screen that either stops the defence from seeing the ball or a would-be tackler from going directly at his man. Think traffic island.

Against Ireland last weekend the screen played a part in at least two of their five tries, creating holes into which the All Blacks ran.

And if you ever wondered how New Zealand get so many bodies to the breakdown or to an attacker's shoulder, then look no further. Having two or three forwards five or 10 yards ahead of the ball puts them in pole position to either support the carrier or retrieve ball at a ruck. I name no one, but look out for a prop and a lock.

In Dublin, Eddie O'Sullivan would say nothing about the refereeing of Jonathan Kaplan because he could not. You do not say he's the best referee in the world one day and complain the next that he's a serial offender.

Robinson has got his retaliation in first this week, asking Ireland's Alan Lewis to do three things: make sure the scrum is straight and square - "New Zealand do like to walk around the scrum," was his pleasant phrase - the tackle is policed and the screen dismantled.

However, even if the All Blacks stick to the letter of the law, England will have enough problems.

Meanwhile, New Zealand will have to do without the world's best flanker after Richie McCaw withdrew as a consequence of a blow to the head in the match against Ireland. Given the strength in depth of this All Blacks squad, the absence of one individual might not be enough to ensure a stirring home win, but Robinson's England will be grateful for small mercies.

McCaw's decision not to play in what would have been his first Twickenham Test was influenced by a history of concussion-related problems and a desire not to let the team down in such a significant fixture.

The All Blacks coach, Graham Henry, who has promoted Taranaki's Chris Masoe to the openside flank, described McCaw's choice as "very mature" and is still hoping the 24-year-old will be fit for next weekend's concluding Test of the tour, against Scotland.

England will not regard Masoe as a weak link in any respect: he was supremely powerful against Wales in Cardiff a fortnight ago and his brother is the current World Boxing Association middleweight champion.

Robinson, instead, is looking to his own pack to give the All Blacks a taste of their own physical medicine and deny their prolific backline the chance to cut loose and complete the third leg of a potential Grand Slam.

In the past three meetings between the sides, dating back to 2003, they have failed to register a try, compared with the All Blacks' nine. Only the Springboks, who took out the scrumhalf Byron Kelleher early and employed a blitz midfield defence to secure a 22-16 victory in Cape Town in August, have ruffled Kiwi composure to any degree, and England's hard-tackling centre Mike Tindall yesterday highlighted the need to stop the opposition at source.

"If we score five tries and lose we've still lost, haven't we?" observed the Gloucester centre, advising the All Blacks to watch out for a rampaging Andrew Sheridan.

"I wouldn't like to tackle Sheridan one-on-one and four Australians found it difficult last Saturday. People don't like to see him and Danny Grewcock running at them. As Martin Corry has said, we're not underdogs. We're at home and we're expecting to win. If we can manage not to turn over the ball, we can't lose."

Robinson, who confirmed Charlie Hodgson would be fit to start at outhalf, is also wary of playing into the All Blacks' hands - "If we make mistakes in our own half they'll score 40 points" - and will attempt to whip Twickenham into a state of patriotic fervour by requesting Land of Hope and Glory be played after New Zealand have performed their haka.

"It could be one of the great sporting events of the year," said Robinson. Victory would certainly represent England's finest hour since winning the World Cup in 2003.

Guardian Service