Malakai Fekitoa will add a jolt of "no-fear attitude'' to the All Blacks camp leading into Saturday's British and Irish Lions test series decider, according to his Highlanders team-mate, Aaron Smith.
Fekitoa (25) was drafted into the All Blacks squad on Sunday in anticipation of Sonny Bill Williams' suspension for his second-test red card.
Williams, who has lined up at second five-eighth in both tests to date, was handed a four-match ban for his shoulder charge to the face of Anthony Watson.
Given coach Steve Hansen's thin midfield stocks - with Williams absent and Ryan Crotty injured - Fekitoa is a solid chance to play at Eden Park.
The versatile Anton Lienert-Brown is likely to retain a midfield spot, but Hansen must choose between Fekitoa at centre or rookie second-five specialist Ngani Laumape, who made a sound second-test debut.
The uncapped Jack Goodhue is also a midfield option.
"At the gym, Malakai always works pretty hard and gave a bit of energy to the group. He doesn't say much but through his facial expressions and body language, you could tell he was really happy,'' Smith said.
Fekitoa, a softly-spoken character renowned for his relentless positivity on social media, was an unlucky omission from this year's test squad and subsequently impressed in the Highlanders' 23-22 win over the mid-week Lions.
Capped 23 times, the Tongan-born midfielder played in 10 of last year's 14 All Blacks tests, making eight starts and scoring four tries.
Smith, who is also based in Dunedin with the Highlanders, said the physicality of a Lions test decider would suit Fekitoa to a tee.
It could also be a timely reminder of his worth to Kiwi rugby, with rumours circulating of an imminent departure to French club Toulon.
"Very confrontational - that take-nothing attitude. He'll go hard and do his job really well if he gets the opportunity,'' halfback Smith said.
"[There'll be] a bit of a chip on his shoulder, and maybe a bit of no-fear attitude coming in. He knows what he has to do.''
Meanwhile, All Blacks lock Brodie Retallick regards victory on Saturday as a now-or-never proposition.
"I can't imagine my body will still be hanging in there in 12 years' time,'' the 26-year-old told reporters yesterday.
The towering Retallick has won almost every trophy available to him in rugby, from the 2015 Rugby World Cup and two Super Rugby titles with the Chiefs to five Bledisloe Cups and four Rugby Championships. He even picked up the 2014 World Rugby player of the year award.
"I guess it's like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, firstly to play the Lions and then to try and win a Lions series. In that aspect, it's massive.
"Right now, we're probably feeling a little bit more pressure within the group. It's do or die at one-all.''
Regardless of the circumstances of the second-test loss, Retallick felt his side underperformed.
The world champions had not put an ill-disciplined Lions side under enough pressure, and would need to rectify that in the decider.
They would also need to ramp up their physicality at the breakdown and set-piece.
"It'd be good just to go to Saturday right now, and not have to worry about the rest of the week, but we'll build well,'' Retallick said.
"I've got no doubt there's going to be a bit of edge amongst the group.
"I thought [the Lions] were a lot more physical and confrontational than they were before. We need to sort that out and make sure we're back at it.''