While the game has seen plenty of innovation over time, one truth remains universal to rugby - the battle is won up front.

In a bid to rediscover their physical dominance ahead of the Bledisloe Cup series, the All Blacks have called up a pair of experienced bruisers in Scott Barrett and Shannon Frizell.

The side faced some tough conversations on the back of three test defeats to South Africa.

Assistant coach Jason Ryan admits they were beaten up by the Boks.

"It sucked a lot of juice out of everyone, and it was good to come in last on Sunday night, and we reviewed that as a group. There was a little bit of discomfort in the room, as there should be coming off the back of three losses."

With the Wallabies awaiting, Ryan said the men wearing numbers one to eight on their backs can't afford to take a backwards step.

"I don't think there's a maybe around the physical battle. We were on the wrong side of it at times."

In order to beef up the pack, coach Dave Rennie has recalled the veteran forwards for the two tests against the Wallabies.

Ryan said both men have proven they are match ready through NPC appearances.

"[Frizell has] come in in great shape, and I think he's got a lot of confidence out of playing his two or three games for Tasman, which was important. He's fully selectable. He's come in fresh and definitely knows what he's capable of, and we've got a few injuries at the moment on the back of a pretty rugged tour."

Ryan said the Tongan-born powerhouse provides a point of difference up front.

"He's a big body, his physicality, he's really bulky in his chest and his legs, so he's got power."

Frizell has not played in the black jersey since the 2023 World Cup final, taking up a three year contract in Japan.

He admits to having a few nerves around returning to the international stage, but does so with unfinished business.

"I'm excited to be back. Kind of nervous as well. I feel like when I left, when you don't get the job done, you kind of have that feeling in the back of my head, maybe my best rugby is still in front of me and I'll give myself another chance."

Also returning is former captain Barrett, who has spent the past 10 months on the sideline with a back injury.

Having been forced to watch the South African series from home, Barrett agreed the All Blacks were slightly off the pace against the imposing Boks forwards.

"I think it's easy to criticise when you're on the couch at home. But I think the set piece is probably an area where they worked themselves back into the game. They were able to get up the field through scrum penalties on their ball. [That's] their DNA, they lent on it and it fed into other areas of their game, that's been a strength of them for a long time."

It is a lesson the All Blacks will look to put into practice against their transtasman rivals at Eden Park, a ground they have not been beaten on since 1994.

However, Australia are enjoying somewhat of a resurgence under new coach Les Kiss, managing a win over the world champion Springboks a fortnight ago.

"We're fully on alert for what's coming this week. As a team, we've already addressed a few things on where we need to get better, and we'll have to work pretty hard this week," Barrett said.

Looking to bounce back form the disappointment of South Africa by locking up the Bledisloe Cup for a 24th consecutive year, Ryan said it will be crucial for the All Blacks to be clear around how they want to play.

"We need to get into the game early and use our pack, and we've talked about how we can do that a little bit better with the balance of our game."