Read: ‘Pressure? What pressure?’
English coach Eddie Jones’ mind games don’t even register with All Blacks skipper Kieran Read.
Pressure has been chasing him down the street every day of his life in this team and just because a World Cup semifinal is on the horizon, he’s not going to start jumping at ghosts now.
Read presented as a relaxed figure with a steely focus in his last media appearance before tomorrow’s semifinal against England in Yokohama.
He barely acknowledged the not-so-subtle attempts at shifting the pressure factor by the opposition coach earlier this week, with his allegations of spying, but did talk about the high stakes of this encounter and the readiness of his team to deal with the external factors that came with that.
‘‘Pressure is something as All Blacks we constantly live with,’’ Read told Stuff at a crowded squad naming press conference in Tokyo. ‘‘It’s been there from the start. When you come into this side, there’s internal pressure on yourself as a player to perform, let alone what’s going on outside.
‘‘For us, a big game is a big game. No matter where it is in the world and who we’re playing, the expectation is to play well.
‘‘But the semifinal [of a World Cup] is different. You can’t expect that same preparation you’ve used before to work in a game like this . . . The English are going to be right on edge and we need to match that and be even more hungry for it.’’
Read also acknowledged the ‘F’ word. Anything but victory this week for a team chasing a historic third successive crown would represent failure.
‘‘Of course, people are going to say we’ve failed if we don’t
win but that’s the nature of the All Blacks in New Zealand and the scrutiny we have . . . England are good enough to win this week, and that’s all we’re focused on.’’
With England’s resources, mass media coverage and their coach’s own oft-stated grand ambition, a semifinal exit at New Zealand’s hands would be a failure.
Read knows that. It’s why he brushed aside Jones’ spying claims as if they were nothing more than a Twitter troll briefly raising his head above the parapet. ‘‘It doesn’t even come into the equation,’’ said Read, who this week equals Sean Fitzpatrick’s mark of 51 tests as All Blacks skipper.
Read has found a fabulous groove at the business end of this tournament. Two years ago, he faced an uncertain future after major back surgery to correct nerve issues. Now he has peaked when it matters most.
‘‘I’ve worked hard to get back at it,’’ reflected Read. ‘‘It’s probably taken a bit longer than what you anticipated. I had this goal of what this tournament was going to bring.
‘‘I knew where I wanted to be and this is where I am now. I’m excited about what’s coming.’’