‘These games are tough’ – Read

Editor

All Blacks captain Kieran Read warned the debutantes in his team that they shouldn't expect Wales to be a push over.

The All Blacks coaching staff made a few changes to the team that won 36-22 victory in Wellington in the second Test against Wales this series. New Zealand will play Wales in the final Test in Dunedin this weekend. 

Read said the newcomers know that it won't be easy. 

"You can't expect to go out and dominate a team right from the word go," he explained. 

"These games are tough, the Welsh make you work for it, so it takes sometimes 45-50 minutes and other times it takes 70 minutes."

"They will back themselves as well, they've certainly done that so we've got to try to get on top of them a bit quicker than we perhaps have done in the last couple of games."

"I think the boys as a team really want to deliver a great performance to put an exclamation mark on the series." 

Meanwhile, All Black coach Steve Hansen believes Julian Savea can return to form this week and was re-included in the starting line-up.

"I am confident we will get a better performance than we got last time. Am I confident we will get the top drawer one, who knows? But if we do, it will be pretty special," he said. 

"I don't think his position is in doubt whether he is good enough. You don't go from being one of the greatest wings in the world to not being good enough to make the team." 

"We fully understand … that he is not far away from being where we need him to be. Until Saturday comes, we can't know totally but I am pretty confident we will get something out of him on Saturday."