The All Blacks are wary of a much-improved Scotland team ahead of their Test match at Murrayfield in Edinburgh this Sunday (NZT).
Scotland stunned Argentina 41-31 in their opening November Test over the weekend but it was the manner of their victory which was perhaps the most surprising.
The unheralded Scots scored five tries to three and played an attractive brand of rugby that promises the dawn of a bright new era.
Indeed the arrival of Kiwi coach Vern Cotter has clearly done wonders for a team who hadn't beaten the Pumas at home since 1990 after four defeats.
"It made us just sit up in our chair and really look at them really well this week," veteran All Blacks hooker Keven Mealamu said today.
"This is top tier nations so anything is possible we definitely have taken notice from the score at the weekend and we will make sure with our preparation we won't leave any stone unturned.
"They are a good side and they have definitely improved over the last year and we'll make sure we prepare well this week."
Scotland may have never have beaten the All Blacks in 29 attempts, but lock Jeremy Thrush believes they will be oozing confidence after beating Argentina.
"Impressed with the result they got and they are probably going to have a bit of a leap in their step from winning that game and they are going to be pretty fired up like most teams are to come up against us and they will be at home," Thrush said.
Murrayfield holds a special place in Mealamu's heart. The 35-year-old captained the All Blacks for the first time there in 2008.
"I remember it quite well they usually have it quite dark for the piper on top of the stadium so when we run out it's quite dark and with all the chords they have for the TV cable and stuff we were almost we couldn't run out there like we usually do," Mealamu recalled.
"When you run out onto a field like Murrayfield you want to sprint out of the gates. It was lucky the lights were off cause everyone was tiptoeing over cables."
And with Scotland's new and improved rugby attitude, the All Blacks should be tiptoeing into this Test match as well.
