Visitors will improve, so must we — Smith

Test number 77 is looming for Conrad Smith and improvement is on the agenda for not just the All Black centre.

A dry track, more time together and motivation to make up for a sloppy effort last time out should combine to get the All Blacks a whole lot better come Saturday night at Forsyth Barr Stadium.

Smith says the entire All Black side must take a step up from Eden Park, which saw the home team sneak in 20-15 over a brave but ultimately outgunned England side.

“We just let ourselves down in our execution in a lot of different areas and I think it is just a matter of individually working harder and building from there,” he said.

“We did manage to get a win but we can be a whole lot better. We have to improve. The English will improve again. They have a few personnel back and we will want to play better regardless of who we were playing.

“It was a performance where we let ourselves down in a few areas so we want to make sure it does not happen again.”

Smith, 32, said the English have obviously come to compete and there would be analysis done on them but in the end it was more about the All Black game than what the English were doing.

“We will look at them a fair bit but we always focus on ourselves mainly when we have got the ball and when we are defending.

“You look at them as a team more. There are trends in the way they play and that is what they have benefited from, regardless who is playing as an individual.”

Last Saturday night, Smith had to face the human cannonball of Leicester centre Manu Tuilagi, who at 112kg takes some stopping.

Smith could face another centre this week as more players come into consideration with the possibility of Luther Burrell coming into the starting side.

But Smith is not overly concerned who he faces on Saturday night.

“You do set aside a bit of extra time. There is only so much you can do. Maybe get to see 10 to 15 minutes of what a guy does.

“It is more the pattern I think. That is just the nature of rugby, regardless of the position. You have to be aware there are going to be different guys. As a centre you’ve got to worry about a fullback and a blindside winger as much as a centre. I probably tackle those guys more than a centre.”

English coach Stuart Lancaster is in a tough position with his selection but whoever he picks or does not pick, Smith does not expect much to change on the field.

Smith praised new All Black Malakai Fekitoa who said his energy was rubbing off on the team.

‘It was cool for him to get that game under his belt. He deserves to be an All Black, the way he has played. You get that enthusiasm and keep it ticking away for a while and that is good for the team.”