Assistant coach Wayne Smith has revealed some of the secrets behind the All Blacks' white-hot form.

The top-ranked New Zealanders are shooting for a 13th consecutive Test triumph when they meet the Wallabies again in Christchurch on Saturday and Smith says there are two very good reasons for the winning streak.

Selection loyalty and last year's painful hat-trick of defeats to the world champion Springboks.

Smith said keeping faith with proven performers like halfback Piri Weepu and prop Tony Woodcock, despite their unconvincing Super 14 form, had paid dividends.

"With a lot of those guys, there are often reasons why they didn't hit their straps - and they are varied reasons - and you've got to take them into account when you're selecting," Smith said on Wednesday.

"Sometimes you're the only ones who know that. But if they're in the All Blacks for a long period, they're going to be bloody good players.

"So if they're bloody good players now, they're probably going to be bloody good players (again). And you want great players and form doesn't always reflect that.

"Sometimes you've got to trust that a player who is out of form is going to be good for you."

Talented midfielder Richard Kahui, on the comeback from a shoulder injury, is another player who has been rewarded with the All Blacks selectors' belief.

"You wouldn't pick him on stats or form," Smith said.

"But there's a gut feeling that this kid's a class player and that he's going to perform well for us."

Smith also revealed how New Zealand's worst losing run against South Africa in 33 years in 2009 had made the All Blacks mentally stronger.

"The Boks didn't scar us," he said.

"In many ways it was the best thing that happened because we went on a great northern (hemisphere) tour and we developed our game.

"To play the sort of (attacking) game that we wanted to play against France in Marseilles was a blueprint for what we've done this year. It created what's happened this year.

"It makes you introspective and not to want to go through that pain again and it makes you work hard at trying to avoid it."

New Zealand's ruthless response to last year's run of outs has Smith wary of Australia, who are similarly desperate to avoid their worst-ever losing sequence against the All Blacks.

Dismissing the notion that they may be psychologically wounded from eight straight trans-Tasman losses, Smith said the Wallabies would even be dangerous at next year's World Cup if whitewashed 4-0 again this series.

"Every game is its own entity," Smith said. "Anything can happen and what went before it is normally irrelevant.

"I can remember going to Tokyo last year (for the fourth Bledisloe Cup fixture) and we had a massive build-up to that game because you just want to keep winning.

"Past success guarantees nothing. You've just got to keep working at it, try to keep an edge, build for every game like it's your last one and that's what we try to do."

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