Vern Cotter is banking on an 80kg dynamo parcelled-up in the No 9 jersey to lead Scotland into the annals of history against the All Blacks on Sunday morning.
Although Cotter, the New Zealander in charge of Scotland, will not officially name his team until later in the week, halfback Greig Laidlaw has again been confirmed as captain following his inspirational performance in the 41-31 win over Argentina at Murrayfield last weekend.
At 80kg Laidlaw, who stands 1.76kg, gives away 2kg to incumbent All Blacks halfback Aaron Smith and 14kg and 9kg, respectively, to TJ Perenara and Augustine Pulu.
But as Laidlaw proved against Argentina, size is irrelevant if a player backs his instincts, makes rational decisions and refuses to concede an inch.
This is something Cotter, who will attempt to inflate his side's self-belief by filtering through his knowledge and experience of New Zealand rugby, will expect again at Murrayfield.
"Vern is a very astute character and he knows the game inside out," Laidlaw said. "He knows the psyche of the All Blacks a little bit more than we do as Scotsmen, so he's been good to have in the camp.
"It's no secret about the way they play. It's there for everyone to see, they are a world class team."
Cotter, who took over Scotland in June, is expected to make few - if any - changes to the side that dumped Argentina. This means Laidlaw, the nephew of ex-Scotland great Roy Laidlaw, will again be the only player in the backline who doesn't play for Glasgow Warriors.
This year the halfback transferred from Edinburgh to English club Gloucester, a move that has revitalised the 29-year-old and coincided with Cotter securing victory in his opening test on Scottish soil last weekend.
Cotter, who previously coached at Bay of Plenty and French club Clermont with Joe Schmidt, will also be mindful of the boilover his friend almost created against the All Blacks in Dublin last year.
Schmidt, now in charge of Ireland, would have marked his first test against his countrymen with a victory had the All Blacks not instigated a remarkable comeback which culminated in Ryan Crotty scoring a try in the dying moments which was followed by Aaron Cruden nailing a sideline conversion.
While the All Blacks, who have suffered just one loss in the last two seasons, are heavily favoured to maintain their unbeaten streak against Scotland they were far from perfect during last weekend's 24-21 win over England.
The lineout was probably the most disappointing facet of their game and the slow start, which has been unwanted features of recent matches against the Wallabies and Springboks, plagued them in London with Jonny May too quick for Conrad Smith and Israel Dagg.
Installing self-belief will be crucial for Cotter if his side are to overcome the odds.
Laidlaw noted his test debut against the All Blacks in 2010, when he replaced Mike Blair late in the first half, was a miserable 49-3 loss.
"It was one to remember because it was my first cap but also one to forget because we took a bit of a thumping and a couple of years we were on the back of a good All Blacks performance."
In 2012 the All Blacks returned to Murrayfield and dished out a 51-22 hiding, a game Laidlaw started at first five-eighth.
"Some of the boys have touched on (the subject) that they have been on the end of a couple of big defeats in recent times at Murrayfield ,so the way we start that game at the weekend will go a long way for us."
- Stuff
