Kieran Read and the All Blacks were greeted by huge crowds on Tuesday © Getty Images

Enlarge

Test observers are struggling to remember the last time the All Blacks played in the uncomfortable conditions promised for Wednesday's Test against Samoa.

Temperatures are forecast to top 30C for the mid-afternoon Test at Apia Park, which will come as no surprise to anyone given the dripping heat of the last week. Even more concerning is that showers are forecast for the morning, which will only add to the draining humidity.

"Beautiful, I love it," a smiling All Blacks fullback Israel Dagg said, in a sentiment that may not be shared by his teammates in the forwards. "I hear 3 o'clock's hissing so I'm looking forward to it."

Members of All Blacks management reckoned some of the Tests on the South African high veldt may have gone close to 30C in recent years but with nothing like the mugginess of Apia. The players will pay extra attention to hydration before, during and after the Test. Considerable loss of weight is possible if they don't prepare well, a scenario to be avoided nine days before a Test against Argentina in Christchurch.

It's not just the All Blacks who are wary of the furnace that awaits.Most of the Samoan team are coming off cold European club seasons, including lock Kane Thompson. He believes their earlier preparation could hold them in good stead against the visitors, who will play less than about 40 hours after flying out of wintry New Zealand.

"It's always tough for me coming back here and playing but we've acclimatised now," he said. "I've been here for two weeks so we're hoping it's going to give us a little bit of an edge, although we know their fitness levels in New Zealand are exceptionally high."

The atmosphere at the historic Test promises to be something special after local fans took to the streets in huge numbers to catch a glimpse of the All Blacks on Tuesday. Crowds gathered in blazing heat from well before the start of the parade for both teams along Apia's waterfront.

By the time it began, spectators were up to 10-deep at places, reproducing the rousing atmosphere that greeted the visitors for their airport arrival the night before. Samoan and All Blacks flags were waved in equal numbers by a crowd comprising babies to the elderly.

"I thought New Zealand was a pretty rugby-mad country but the knowledge and the passion that I've seen in the short time I've been here from the Samoan people pretty much overtakes what we get at home," All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw said. "We got off the plane and travelled into the hotel, seeing the streets all lined with flags and painted coconuts, and people waving. It truly made us feel welcome."