Preparations add edge in bid for record

Rowing gold medallist Drysdale keeping ABs on straight, narrow

After being tripped up several times by Australia in recent years when on the brink of setting the world record for consecutive test wins, the All Blacks are determined not to let the same thing happen at Eden Park on Saturday night.

In fact, while All Blacks assistant coach Ian Foster yesterday said his team were taking no notice of what was coming out of the other camp, and in particular the mouth of Michael Cheika, the Wallabies’ coach may have delivered the opposition a pep talk when he said recently the All Blacks will be “thinking they’ll do it easy”.

That doesn’t appear to be the case, and it could be apt that New Zealand’s Olympic rowing gold medallist Mahe Drysdale was with the All Blacks yesterday setting them on the straight and narrow.

With the team assembling only four days out from the test to give them as much recovery time as possible after their efforts and associated travel in Argentina and South Africa, Foster said their preparations had been given an added edge as their date with destiny looms.

Loose forward Jerome Kaino added: “What we’ve learned in the past is how to prepare during the week. Although a lot of things in the media or out in the public will be said about how we’ll easily beat them, it’s important for us not to believe that. We’re both tier one nations and there’s only little things in test matches that win them and lose them.”

The Wallabies most recently spoiled the party in Sydney in 2014 when holding the All Blacks to a 12-12 draw as Steve Hansen’s men teetered on the brink. Given that history, and the feelings between the two teams this year — which came to a head in Wellington in August when the Wallabies played the man rather than the ball — the motivation to get to the magical 18 victories in a row and beyond could hardly be greater.

“The Aussies are certainly mentioning it, and we’re mentioning it,” Foster said. “There’s no point denying the fact that we’re sitting on 17.”

Foster believed the Wallabies performances in beating the Pumas at Twickenham in their last test and losing a relatively close one to the Springboks in Pretoria showed how far they had come this year.

Cheika’s side were on a five-match losing streak this year following their 29-9 hammering by the All Blacks in Wellington before they beat the Boks and Pumas.

“Looking at their [recent] tests against Argentina and South Africa, they’ve taken a lot on board from those first two tests and they’ve moved on and I think playing a better style of rugby,” Foster said.

“They look like they understand what they’re trying to do more. We probably have, too.

“We’ve certainly stepped up from August so I think there’s two improved teams — we’ll see who has improved the most.

“The energy levels are high now and there’s that mental freshness that comes in. There’s an edge that generates when you know you have to get through the same amount of work [in a shorter time].”

Foster said the team had put a full stop to the Aaron Smith affair after the statement by New Zealand Rugby that the halfback had voluntarily stood down from the test. Augustine Pulu has been called up to cover for TJ Perenara and Tawera Kerr-Barlow in Smith’s absence.

The focus this week is on performing at training in what is looming as one of the most important tests for the All Blacks this year. A world record is at stake, and they generally don’t come easy.