By Evannah Hastings
All Blacks captain Scott Barrett says his heavily fancied team must ensure they avoid “a smack in the face” from Wales at the Principality Stadium.
Given the current woes of the home side, the All Blacks are more fancied than ever to brush aside Steve Tandy’s men in Cardiff on Saturday afternoon.
But ever the cautious professional, the 32-year-old Crusaders lock, part of the extensive Barrett All Black dynasty, says his team are taking nothing for granted.
“The last thing we want to do is to turn up tomorrow and get a smack in the face by the Wales team,” he said.
“We’ve prepared accordingly”
New Zealand have made changes to their team and there is speculation that they may be going easy on their struggling opponents.
Barrett dismissed the suggestion, saying: “I don’t think it’s our worst team or our second team.”
“It’s a team that has been selected to get the job done.
“It has been a pretty brutal tour with the physical encounter up in Edinburgh at Murrayfield and another in Twickenham.
“I think the guys stepping in have been given an opportunity and will bring plenty of energy to the occasion tomorrow night.
“It’s exactly what we need to finish the tour strong, and the coaches have made those selections to get the job done.”
The All Blacks, worryingly for Wales, are seeking redemption after a chastening 33-19 defeat to England last weekend. Barrett says his team want to get that experience out of their system in the Welsh capital.
“The boys are raring to go,” he added.
“It’s been a long week after the result in Twickenham.
“We can’t wait to get back out there and put that performance behind us and finish the tour strong.
“I think there’s guys who haven’t had as much of an opportunity and they might get an opportunity tomorrow night.
“They go out tomorrow and are going to grab the opportunity by two hands and you can’t dwell too much on combinations.
“We’re looking forward to it.”