After working their way through the post mortem of defeat, the All Blacks are now set to channel their frustrations into a do-or-die series decider against Ireland that's akin to a World Cup knockout match.
Head taped up, soaking wet, All Blacks captain Sam Cane cut a determined figure aftertraining at the Hutt Rec ground on Tuesday in horrendous conditions that are expected to continue through to this weekend in Wellington.
In addition to setting the tone for the expected backlash, Cane brushed off an apparent sledge from Irish loose forward Peter O'Mahony during the second test loss in Dunedin – an on-field jibe said to be along the lines of an unflattering comparison to Richie McCaw.
"That's just good rugby banter. It's all part of the game, I don't mind it," Cane said.
Now that they are in that position, though, with much at stake and potential careers on the line, Cane is confident a week is enough time to amend a performance that evoked widespread concerns – from being beaten up front to the poor handling that crippled the attack.
"Rugby can be a simple game. We had 27 unforced errors. When you think about how many minutes we had the ball, that's just ridiculous and our discipline let us down massively," Cane said.
"A lot can change in rugby in seven days. We have to make sure we fix that but the belief is strong, the group is tight, we're together. I don't feel like there's any chinks inside the camp.
"We had a good day yesterday, highlighting errors we want to get better in. One of those was unforced errors, so there's no better way of practising them than in conditions like this. There's every chance it could be like this on Saturday as well.
"The drive is massive. We're hugely disappointed with what we dished out on Saturday. Credit to Ireland, they played really well, but we need to be so much better. Our drive is we have pride in the jersey and we're not happy with what we put out, so we're working really hard to make sure that doesn't happen again."
If Sam Cane is a measuring stick to go by, expect a fired up All Blacks side on Saturday night. Photo / Photosport
World Rugby's rankings are often difficult to fathom but the All Blacks sliding to fourth – behind France, Ireland and South Africa - is an apt reflection of their struggles following one win from their last four tests.
For a team that savoured a decade of dominance as the world's No 1-ranked nation, their decline on this measuring stick adds another layer of angst.
"If I'm honest we haven't paid too much attention to that. I don't even understand how the rankings work," Cane said. "It's a goal of ours to make sure we get back to No 1 but we realise the process around doing that is performing consistently every week and at the moment we haven't been doing that well enough.
"We've got enough on our hands digesting what happened on the weekend and focusing on this week. Things like world rankings take care of itself when we're playing well. That's where all our energy is."
Assessing the mood within the All Blacks camp, as pressure and criticism mounts from outside, Cane echoed Ardie Savea's sentiments of welcoming the chance to unleash the fury and make amends amid an unforgiving cauldron atmosphere.
"I'd describe it as really focused and determined," Cane said. "When we step on the park we're out here to work. We trained really well today. There's a lot of little rugby conversations that are going on during the week. There's no stone left unturned.
"It's about channelling our emotions in the right way. We're angry and disappointed in ourselves but there's no point dwelling on that performance too long. We have to pick ourselves up and shift the mindset really early to highlighting things we need to get better at. That's energising and exciting, then we save those other emotions for Saturday night.
"The situation is not what we wanted but now we look at it and embrace it. It's a good challenge for us. It's do or die – just like World Cup stuff. I'm looking forward to it."
