Memories of Christchurch are still fresh in the All Blacks’ minds as they prepare for a formidable challenge up front against Argentina in their World Cup opener at Wembley on Monday (NZT).

Despite running out comfortable 39-18 victors in that first game of this year’s Rugby Championship, it was two successive driving maul tries by the Pumas that left a sour taste in lock Luke Romano’s mouth.

“To have it happen twice in one game - yeh your pride does take a dent,” Romano conceded.

“But it’s how you bounce back from that and we’ve done the work so hopefully come Sunday we’ll be able to stop them,” he added.

Hooker Keven Mealamu’s been banging heads with Argentinian forwards long enough to understand the threat awaiting the ABs in their first game of pool play.

“They don’t come much bigger than that,” the 127 test veteran said of the Puma pack.

“They’ve done it so well for years and years and years and are probably masters.”

Mealamu agreed that forward play and in particular the rolling maul could feature heavily in the UK version of Rugby World Cup.

“Obviously up here it’s a big part of the game and so we have been constantly looking at it and making sure we can be better.

“It’s a really good point of attack if you do it well so I can see quite a few teams doing that,” he added.

The All Blacks held their second full contact training session of the week overnight under dark skies at their base in Teddington.

The pleasant early weather that greeted the men in black is disappearing fast with rain closing in and set to get heavier into the weekend.

The World Champions now have a rest day before the team to take on Argentina is named Friday evening (NZT).