It was a bit of a free hit, but the English press got what they had travelled halfway round the world for on Thursday.
At the All Blacks' team naming press conference, Sevu Reece was quizzed on his knowledge of the players he will be marking in Saturday night's first test between the All Blacks and England at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin.
Unsurprisingly - and like any time All Blacks have been asked about their opposition - Reece could not say much other than referring to base level notions of English rugby.
It was all the journalists needed to take to English captain Jamie George that night, whose response was again perfect fodder for a headline: "I know that [having a knowledge of their opposition] was certainly said in 2017 on the Lions tour.
"The message then was by the end of that series, they are certainly going to know who we are. That is certainly the message again from me and this England team."
With that box ticked, George was asked about how his side would respond to the haka - another tried and tested topic for All Blacks v England matches.
For his part, George stressed that what happened after the haka was what counted.
Jamie George said ahead of his side's test against the All Blacks: "They are certainly going to know who we are". Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
"I think the most important thing - regardless of what you do for the haka and what happens before the game - [is that] the first 10 minutes of a test match sets the tone. That's going to be the most important thing regardless of what we do."
Meanwhile, All Black captain Scott Barrett said his side had talked about accuracy in regard to tackle heights.
They do not need to look back far to know how costly that can be, with the All Blacks reduced to 14 men after Sam Cane was sent off in last year's World Cup final.
"Yeah, it's something we've talked about: accuracy, about our skillset and what's required in the combative game we play. That's been our focus and our height with that is a key factor."
New All Blacks captain Scott Barrett fields questions from sports reporters. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
His vice-captain, Ardie Savea, agreed that discipline across the board would be key.
"We need to build pressure, and giving away penalties lets that pressure off. As All Blacks, we need to keep our standards high…for us it's how we adapt and adjust to that."
Nika Amashukeli is the referee for the game - the 29-year-old Georgian having controlled two All Black tests in 2022. One was the historic loss to Argentina in Christchurch, the other the end-of-year tour win over Japan.
