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All Blacks sight last big game
16/07/2007
Sportal.co.nz
Keven Mealamu - Photosport
The All Blacks are looking forward to Saturday's Bledisloe Cup and Philips Tri Nations decider with Australia as they know it is the last big game they can expect before their prospective World Cup quarter-final.
Hooker Keven Mealamu, who had his first Test start of the year since the first Test against France back in early June, said: "It is the biggest game we will have for a little while."
The key to win in Auckland would be achieving better execution in most facets of play, particularly in the passes that are going to ground too often for comfort in recent games.
He was confident the side was moving in the right direction but with the Wallabies having played a settled side through their international season, it was going to be a tough assignment in Auckland.
But at the same time Mealamu said people shouldn't be worried just yet.
"We don't want to be at our best now. We've still got a few more games under our belt," he said.
Mealamu also acknowledged the below-strength South African side had managed to push Australia all the way in their two Tests and New Zealand had come away with two wins against South Africa.
"We can't disrespect South Africa, they played well in both Tests," he said.
The loss to Australia remained a useful wake-up call and had caused a lot of study by the players and coaches.
"Even when we win our coaches really nitpick as well. It's not about the score after all, it's the way we win, and about the way we play.
"We have got to get back to backing our skills. We've got a great skills base and eventually those 50-50 passes are going to stick and are going to be 80-20.
"We are not a team to play within ourselves. When we express ourselves, the better we play," he said.
Commenting on Springbok captain Johann Muller's comments that Richie McCaw had the referees psyched out of sin-binning him, Mealamu said it was a bit like throwing stones in a glass house for the South Africans because with what they were getting away with, the comment was not justified.
"We were pretty unlucky not to get turnovers that he was penalised for. I thought that was pretty tough on him," Mealamu said.
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