Lions Tour 2017: New jersey and new excitement for All Blacks

Sam Cane, Anton Lienert-Brown and Sam Whitelock reveal the new jersey. Photo / Jason Oxenham

They've got the new black jersey which embraces the latest technology and which includes a crest which they say is an appropriate nod to the past, now the All Blacks and the rest of New Zealand await the arrival of the British and Irish Lions this afternoon.

The tour has just got very real.

The excitement, certainly among rugby fans, will hit a new level once the 41-player Lions squad and management team touch down in Auckland just after lunchtime today, and the All Blacks aren't immune to that.

They felt it during the 2011 World Cup here. It could have been a suffocating pressure, but they used it instead as a driving force and in retrospect they could say it got them across the line in that excruciating one-point win against France in the final at Eden Park.

Flanker Sam Cane, an almost certain starter in the No7 jersey for the first test against the Lions at the All Blacks fortress on June 24, wasn't involved in the 2011 World Cup but did experience the one in the United Kingdom four years later. For the Chiefs loose forward, the Lions tour will be easily the biggest he has been involved in on home soil.

"Having them turn up in the country will certainly make it real and having a first look at them at the Baabaas this weekend will make it pretty real as well," Cane said. "It's always seemed like a long way in the distance and we've always had a lot of rugby to think about between now and then but it's certainly creeping up on us.

The evolution of the All Blacks jersey

"Talking to the guys in the 2011 World Cup and [comparing it to] the 2015 World Cup, the experiences were totally different. There was a lot of pressure in both but having it in New Zealand ... everywhere you go the public's right into it."

Crusaders captain Sam Whitelock said: "I've been talking to a lot of fans who have all said 'when they get here it's going to change everything'. There's been a bit of hype but once they get here it's going to be real and we get to experience that today."

The lock, set to start against Brodie Retallick in the first test, will likely play against the Lions for the Crusaders a week on Saturday, a match he is looking forward to immensely.
And while most people are expecting the Lions pack to include some of the biggest and strongest players to have toured here, Whitelock said nothing could be taken for granted in terms of opposition tactics.

Introducing the new special edition All Blacks jersey. SHOP: https://t.co/GNU4cK1Sv7 #ATTACKtheATTACK #NextIsEverything @adidasrugby pic.twitter.com/jVRQ6Pg1S5

— All Blacks (@AllBlacks) May 30, 2017

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"As a player you have to be prepared for different styles. We have to wait and see what style they play but they're going to be good enough to play a number of styles. For us as forwards we've got to be ready for an expansive game or a through the middle style. We'll be working on both."

All Blacks skipper Kieran Read was one of those who signed off on the All Blacks' new jersey, which features a special edition crest commemorating the first Lions tour here in 1904.

He said he remains on track to start the first test after his recovery from thumb surgery.

"I get the cast off in a week and a half," Read said. "That gives me two weeks before the first test so I'm thinking that should be fine. I'm re-using the thumb again in that period so we'll just have to wait and see.

"I've been working pretty bloody hard... I'm in great shape. I just need to connect the dots with a few other things."