Kaino has become a key man for the All Blacks, a bruising runner and fearless defender as the side nears its biggest game for four years.
Especially so, with his regular partners, captain Richie McCaw and No 8 Kieran Read, struggling with injury throughout the tournament.
Kaino, though, is pressing on, no matter who joins him in the loose forward trio.
"It is not too bad that Richie is not taking too much involvement in training. We know each other, we know our game and we have guys like Victor [Vito] and Thommo [Adam Thomson] who can easily step in," Kaino said yesterday.
"We learned from the Tri-Nations, and over the years having played each other, that whoever wins that physical battle goes a long way to winning the game. So nothing changes for us, really. It is just a matter of bringing that intensity to the semifinal.
"They [Wallabies] probably came off from that quarterfinal against the Springboks knowing they had not played their best but had still won. I know if that was me you'd be pretty happy with that."
The blindside flanker is coming to the end of a long season after a big effort for the Blues and has played all five games for the All Blacks this year.
But he is not feeling weary or tense going into Sunday night's big semifinal.
"It's quite surprising really, as I thought the coaches were quite relaxed and that was rubbing off on to the rest of the team.
Everyone is not too stressed out, which I think is good for the team."
Undoubtedly, mental strength at this stage of the tournament will be the key, but you get the feeling with the relaxed Kaino that he would bring his A game whether he was playing Australia or Austria on Sunday night.
He is the man to to get the All Blacks over the advantage line, although he was felled a couple of times in the side's quarterfinal victory over Argentina. Knocked down but he got right up.
"One of them was when a ruck landed on my ankle and was quite sore but one of the boys just told me to harden up.
"Then the next time I got quite badly winded, when one of their flankers hit me and I got hit in the ribs. I tell you what, I'll never be a great boxer."
Kaino (28) did not read much into the talk of Eden Park being a fortressalthough he admitted it was one ground he did enjoy playing on.
"With a lot of us, we are familiar with the ground. I love playing at Eden Park and it gives me a little bit of comfort.
But in saying that, both teams are going to be firing. This is semifinals football and something we have not really experienced."
Kaino was not part of the team which lost to Australia in Brisbane in August - he was back in Auckland as his partner had a baby - but he felt the side would be using that as motivation before Sunday's match.
"We see them as our No 1 foe and it is going to be a huge one. But we don't want to single out any one of their players. They have got threats all over the park.
"If you concentrate on one, then all the other dangers in their team will come to bite us."
The All Black team will be named tomorrow morning.