Coach Dave Rennie says he wants the All Blacks to use the pressure of protecting their proud record at Eden Park as motivation rather than let it weigh them down.
New Zealand have gone 53 matches unbeaten at the Auckland venue against all opponents, a world record for a single ground. They have not lost at Eden Park since 1994, and the prospect of being the team that ends that run is something Rennie says his squad has confronted head-on.
“No one wants to be part of the first team for a long time to lose at Eden Park or to lose the Bledisloe,” Rennie told the media.
“I think if we don’t discuss it, some guys will be still mulling over that on game day. So we’ve discussed it, and then we use that as fuel.”
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The challenge is significant for Rennie, who is under scrutiny after the All Blacks’ Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series defeat to the Springboks.
New Zealand won the opening Test in Johannesburg but lost the series 3-1, culminating in a 43-28 defeat in Baltimore last month.
Rennie said the tour had taken a physical and emotional toll on his players, but insisted the All Blacks must learn from the world champions’ ability to punish mistakes and seize opportunities.
“It’s fine margins, but in the end, we’ve got to be better,” he said. “You can grizzle about referee interpretations and things but we had our opportunities, and you’ve got to take them, and that’s why South Africa are world champions.
“We’ve got to be better than we were in the last three weeks in South Africa, and we need to see that on the weekend.”
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– AFP
Photo: Phil Walter/Getty Images
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Coach Dave Rennie says he wants the All Blacks to use the pressure of protecting their proud record at Eden Park as motivation rather than let it weigh them down.
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