Joshua Kronfeld deigned to be different from an early age. He decries the stereotypical portrait of an All Black, the obsessive, at times dour devotion to rugby: but only off the pitch. Once he dons the matt black jersey with the silver fern his focus and intensity is as searing as any of his predecessors.

In New Zealand, with a population of just 3.8 million, the mere appendage of number one sport seems woefully inadequate when describing the passion for rugby union. There is not a hint of melodramatic overstatement in equating the Kiwi's love of rugby with the ardour of the most fanatical religious zealot. The general election in New Zealand has been delayed this year until after the Rugby World Cup, the ruling National Party aware that victory in the sporting event would almost certainly renew their tenancy.

Young boys do not dream about becoming firemen, lawyers or engine drivers. The overwhelming aspiration is to play rugby for New Zealand. But even in such a primary issue Kronfeld differed from his adolescent peers. "I can't say I was a big follower of rugby as a kid, at least not until Michael Jones came onto the scene.

"I never thought about being an All Black. I just wanted to be like Michael Jones. As a kid I thought `this guy is amazing, a pleasure to watch'. The first time I saw him, playing for Auckland, I was stunned because he was doing things that were unheard of at that particular time. He played with such daring, such subtlety. So my dream was a Michael Jones dream rather than an All Black one.

"As you grow up you learn that you can't be like another player. You can take parts of their game but you realise that you must develop your own and be who you are on the pitch." Perhaps his "late conversion" spawned maverick tendencies. Kronfeld never feared individual expression, from the time he used to bead his long hair, a look that hardly courted favour in the conservatism of New Zealand rugby.

"The hair didn't help but I was my was my own individual. I didn't have anything to do with rugby other than the fact that I loved playing it." Professionalism has changed his perspective. "You have to be more involved nowadays. Everyone is so professional in terms of the way they deal with, may I dare say, getting (sic) on the piss.

"You have to manage your lifestyle differently since then (professionalism), be more prepared. Your career at the time is rugby. There is not a lot of time for other things. It's big change for everyone concerned, players, management, media, and the New Zealand rugby union. They are a different network now compared to what they were four years ago.

"I am definitely passionate about playing rugby, the game. There are a lot of things in rugby that I don't really enjoy, that I could run away from, but it's part of rugby and I have to deal with it." Kronfeld's safety valve, his release from the stifling pressure of fulfilling his duties as an All Black is manifest in diverse interests off the pitch.

The 28-year-old plays the harmonica in a band when time permits, and is devoted to surfing, snowboarding and sketching. His current preoccupation is the pursuit of a pilot's licence, which would broaden his travel horizons for his other passions. "Being up in the air is pretty amazing and that opens up a whole new kettle of fish in terms of travelling for my surfing. I hear from my Irish friends that it is pretty good in Donegal, it's a bit like Dunedin. I'd love to go there some day.

"Music it's great. I love getting up there and doing the music thing, playing in a band, seeing people get a buzz out of the music. I love sketching and drawing. I would love to devote a lot more time to it, but at the moment rugby is occupying most of my passion. It's my job and I am grateful for that because I can mix the two and earn a bit of money while I'm at it."

Kronfeld made his international debut against Canada at Eden Park in 1995 and would go on to play a pivotal role in New Zealand's passage to the World Cup final of that year, including scoring a try against Ireland in one of the pool matches. Since then he has played 40 Test matches for the All Blacks during which time he has shown himself to be the outstanding openside flanker in world rugby.

Injuries have denied him a dozen more caps, but have not hampered his prodigious ability. His qualities are manifold: great anticipation of the breakdown, exemplary support play, the knack of snaffling opposition possession, and a courageous disregard for his body. When there's ball to be won the Otago Highlander braves the flying boots.

He says he doesn't have a liking for boots "but that's part of the game. But the contact and the contest make it unique and maybe that's why I love it."

Born in Hastings of German-Samoan descent but long since converted to the delights of Dunedin and Otago where he is revered, Kronfeld accepts that he is now considered one of the more experienced members of the team. Kronfeld and Robin Brooke of the team that plays South Africa at Carisbrook today are the only surviving members of the pack that contested the 1995 World Cup final.

He blanches at being fitted for the mantle of maturity. "It's a bit scary when I'm considered one of the old heads. I have always been one of the team's youngest members. But a lot of the '95 guys have moved on and I have had to step forward, first at Super 12 level. It's not different at the higher level; I'm doing the same role.

"Personally, I could do without it. But you do feel that now you have to say things at certain times, help with mental preparation on the field and maybe offer a little something in training. I'd like to cruise along at my own tempo, switching on for the game. Now there is a responsibility to be more focused for the other guys.

"I think that part of maturity is consistency in your game and I like to pride myself on being pretty consistent. I am probably the most pissed off after a game if I don't reach the standard I want to attain."

Kronfeld has had to experience few disappointments in his rugby career: however he played in the 1995 World Cup final when the All Blacks lost to South Africa and in Dublin (1997) before an international against Ireland he suffered the crushing dejection of being dropped. Injury had disrupted his season but he confessed at the time to being shattered when Andrew Blowers claimed his jersey. "I was in shock, I couldn't believe that it happened." As he would do in the coming seasons, Kronfeld refused to buckle. "I had to get that jersey back. This team means too much to me."

Steeled by experience, he refused to let New Zealand's five-Test losing sequence in 1998 undermine his game. "I think it just made me try harder. The more I was knocked over the more I sweated to make a difference for the team. I had a reasonably good season but it was a kick in the guts for the All Black machine.

"We were recognised as the powerhouses of world rugby for so long and to lose five on the trot was shattering. Maybe later in your career being known as one of the 15 involved in that will carry a stigma but at the time I chose to make the most of the season and do the best I could for the team. We were so close in so many games but maybe the All Blacks just lost that little bit of luck that's gone in the past. Maybe as a team we kidded ourselves that we were where we wanted to be in playing terms."

The remedial work to re-establish the All Black reputation was brutal physically but the players responded to several changes off the pitch in terms of preparation. Thumping victories over Western Samoa and France suggest that the All Blacks are beginning to move with purpose and menace once again.

Kronfeld is wary. "This weekend will be a real marker for us. If you ask me after the game I'll tell you where we are internationally. This year we have got off to a good start, we've got a lot of things we can build on and I think we are heading in a good direction. South Africa is the sole focus. The rest of the Tri-Nations, Bledisloe and World Cup are for other days."

These are productive times for the All Blacks and not just on the pitch. On Thursday the NZRFU officially signed a multi-million pound kit deal with adidas at the Te Papa museum in Wellington. The All Blacks will sport a new jersey against the Springboks - short sleeved, black collar instead of white - but it is the revolutionary new one, unveiled earlier in the week that has caused ripples in international rugby.

The manufacturing company have spent 18 months producing the jersey which includes a rubberised adhesive surface on the chest to better grip a wet ball, a tailored body hugging fit, no collar and a fabric that forces perspiration to the outside of the jersey. It is currently being tested by the players and the All Blacks hope to use it in the World Cup.

What of the long-term future? "I said I would be out of it (rugby) by 28. Now that I am 28 I have a year to go. I want to see the rest of the world and if I can do it playing rugby, why not? There are avenues to getting overseas. It might mean leaving the All Black jersey behind which will be the toughest thing: the Otago one too, that's a real cool family.

"That's my general plan at the moment. But if it (the chance to play) is still there and I want to play, I'll hang in there. That's if some young guy hasn't already kicked me out." Few will fancy their chances.