The plan was born in the belly of Eden Park.

Fourteen weeks ago, the Black Ferns gathered for a gym session at the New Zealand rugby’s spiritual home.

It’s a functional space; strip lighting, bench presses, pull-up bars and the tang of stale sweat.

But before the work-out started, something out of the ordinary occurred.

Allan Bunting, the team’s director of rugby, stood up before his team.

“I have seen some amazing things on the field, but you need to know what our weapon is,” he said.

“It’s a mentality.

“When we are tired and feel like we can just be safe and hold, that when we’ve got to go.

“That’s where big games are won.”

After exhorting his team to meet fear, fatigue and pressure with energy, Bunting did the same.

Saying he was “really scared” about the next part of his presentation, Bunting stripped to his waist and performed a full-throated haka to his team.

“It was about stepping into your discomfort… stepping into your courage and into your gifts and what you’ve inherited from your ancestors,” he reflected later.