Read primed for ‘massive challenge’
The question was a curly one. But Kieran Read’s response perfectly captured the essence of what it means to be an All Black on an occasion like this.
Read fronted a heavily populated press conference at the end of the captain’s run at Eden Park yesterday, a little over 24 hours out from the opening test between his All Blacks and the British and Irish Lions.
But it was no ordinary chat, ahead of no ordinary match.
It will be Read’s first match in nearly two full months after he broke his thumb playing just his third game of the season for the Crusaders in South Africa. The skipper has set himself for this contest, but even he admits there will be a few butterflies around how he will cope.
But it’s a test he was never going to miss, given the rarity of a crack at the Lions in an All Black’s career, and the huge importance of this series. The rugby world’s eyes are watching, and this team of Steve Hansen’s love nothing better than to seize these special moments.
It was why Read’s response to the question from a UK reporter was so telling. The scribbler wanted to know if, all things considered, losing to the Lions would be the worst thing to happen for the All Blacks, and did that not create its own pressure?
‘‘There’s always pressure on us,’’ shot back Read who confirmed his right thumb was healed, and that he would wear a protective guard during the match. ‘‘We don’t mind pressure. Losing would be pretty bad, and any time we lose it’s something we don’t like.
‘‘So we’re prepared to go out and play our game. We know it’s going to be a massive challenge, but this group as All Blacks want to take that head on and embrace it. It’s an exciting time for us.
‘‘We’ll go out there and expect to win, as probably everyone in New Zealand is going to expect us to win. But we’ve got to actually go out and do that. And that comes through our week, our preparation and the mindset we turn up with on Saturday.’’
Then came the followup. Were they not, then, a team motivated more by the fear of failure than pleasure of success?
Read jumped all over that one, like it was turnover ball at the breakdown.
‘‘Most definitely not. We love winning. That is the one that drives you, but you can’t always be focused on winning, you’ve got to be focused on what you can do as a team to get better. This is a series where winning is a high motivation, but all our focus is on tomorrow night, because we know the challenge is going to be massive.’’
Read said he had been taking a full part in contact training for the last 11⁄ weeks and was confident in his ability to take care of his job out on Eden Park.
‘‘Obviously there’s a little bit of unknown but I’m feeling great, the body in good nick, and the emotions and adrenalin will certainly kick in tomorrow.
‘‘I guess the biggest challenge for me is not to go quiet when I get a little bit tired. As leader you’ve got to be front and centre, so it’s making sure I keep working at my game. I’ve got plenty of great men beside me – 22 other guys who will do their job.’’
Read was reluctant to rate this test, and indeed the series, above such huge milestone moments as his twin World Cup victories. But he conceded the history, and the attention, of this special matchup put it right up there.
‘‘It’s probably the most important test right now for me,’’ he said. ‘‘I certainly know what’s coming. It will be a different beast to World Cup finals and different games I’ve played in. We’ve just got to adapt as quickly as we can. That’s something we’ve learned over the last few years as a team – to adapt and adjust and whatever gets thrown our way we’ll try and overcome it.’’
Read fielded multiple questions around the expected clash of styles and the Lions’ strengths of defensive line-speed and set-piece power. Again, he handled them with ease.
‘‘It will probably come down to the simple things done well,’’ added Read. ‘‘Playing the right end field is one and our set piece is pretty crucial. Most tests are tight games, and these big occasions when there’s plenty riding on it come down to a few moments, and to the team that essentially wins those tough battles.’’
The All Blacks will feel so much better about their ability to win those key moments with their leader out there doing what he does, head down, bum up, showing the way forward.