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All Blacks coach Steve Hansen is dismissing talk about margins of victory against Japan – his focus is on getting the performance right.
New Zealand are expected to comfortably win Saturday’s Test at a sold-out Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium in Tokyo even though Hansen’s side has a developmental look about it.
Outside of captain Richie McCaw, who will play at No.8, and five-eighth Daniel Carter none of the other players in the starting 15 have 30 Tests to their name.
Two – towering lock Dominic Bird and wing Frank Halai – are making their debuts, while several others such as Tawera Kerr-Barlow, Beauden Barrett (at fullback), Francis Saili, Charles Piutau, Steven Luatua and Wyatt Crockett are getting rare starts.
It will also be just the second Test at outside centre for Ben Smith.
For all that, this week has been all about maintaining standards without the majority of the senior players around. And Hansen wants to see that translated onto the playing field.
“If we can prepare to have a performance that we can be proud of as a team, individually and collectively, then the margin is irrelevant,” said the All Blacks coach. “Our performance is what’s important.”
The All Blacks have met Japan on four previous occasions and the closest the Brave Blossoms have come was a 74-0 hiding in an unofficial 1987 Test in Osaka.
The key for the All Blacks will be to avoid getting sucked into the high-speed, loose style the Japanese will want to play.
That means getting a good platform up front and playing in the right areas of the field.
“They are a good side and they will make us pay if we try and play from anywhere and play helter-skelter footy,” said Crockett. “We’ve got to be smart.”
Crockett also wants the All Blacks scrum to be firing from the start, something that hasn’t always happened this year.
While New Zealand are expected to have the upper hand in the scrums, Crockett said Japan had tested the Welsh pack – albeit one without their British and Irish Lions players – in their recent victory.
“They weren’t all one-sided that’s for sure,” said the loosehead. “The Japanese boys had some good scrums in there. They are very explosive men.”
Japan’s preparations were disrupted when coach Eddie Jones suffered a stroke two weeks ago. But the former Wallabies boss has been in regular email contact with acting head coach Scott Wisemantel, who was due to visit Jones in hospital on Friday.
Wisemantel has named his strongest-possible side, including Highlanders halfback Fumiaki Tanaka, Melbourne Rebels hooker Shota Horie and former Australian rugby league international Craig Wing.
He has vowed Japan will throw everything they have at the world champions.
“We’re certainly not going out there with a defeatist attitude to try and just compete. We actually want to go out there and win the game,” said Wisemantel.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.