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VIDEO: All Blacks captain 'desperate' to respond to second half 'kick in the guts' from Wallabies
By Peter Thompson
Kieran Read warned New Zealand are "really desperate" to inflict more torment on Australia after the Wallabies gave them a "kick in the guts" following a first-half blitz from the world champions in Sydney.
The All Blacks ran riot at ANZ Stadium last weekend, opening up a 54-6 lead early in the second half of the Bledisloe Cup opener.
Michael Cheika's wounded side responded by scoring 28 points without reply to go down 54-34, but New Zealand will be expected to consign them to another loss in Dunedin on Saturday.
The All Blacks scored eight tries in their first game of the Rugby Championship, yet Read said they must be more ruthless at Forsyth Barr Stadium.
"I'm really desperate for it," the number eight said. "This is our most important trophy we play for outside the World Cup.
"We slightly took our foot off the throat and if we're not there mentally, they're a team that can do that to you. They're dangerous, they're hungry, they've certainly got a point to prove, so you can't take any team lightly.
"We weren't happy, obviously, with the last 30 minutes last week, so that was a great kick in the guts for us to start this week on the right note.
"There's a number of guys in here who have tasted what it's like to win. There's a few guys who haven't, so they're pretty hungry."
Izack Rodda will replace Adam Coleman in the Australia side after the lock was ruled out with a shoulder injury.
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Latest Comments
I've not watched any of the Top 14, but am I right that he was very very good for the first couple of weeks, and then has been pretty ineffective since?
Go to commentsVery good point. I think the CO2 cost of international sport is a big taboo today (and it doesn't look like it'll change anytime soon unfortunately for all humans).
Regarding your second point, I fully agree as well. We have seen this very one-eyed backlash of the French policy on the July tour, most people refuse to see that the best SA players are suffering from the exact same problem : accumulated fatigue from playing too much without significant breaks. The Boks and the Argentinians played the world cup, the URC/Top14/Premiership, the July series, the Championship, etc, etc, with almost no compulsary resting period. This has to change, for the sake of the players, and in fine for the sake of the sport !
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