Rugby Bledisloe Cup: how the new generation of All Blacks is settling in

For anyone reaching the top of their job, it would be hard not to take time to enjoy the new surroundings.

Ardie Savea admits he was a bit shy entering the All Blacks milieu for the first time, with some nervous moments in those early days with the top team.

However, for the new breed, those nerves seem to have calmed down fairly quickly.

There is a lot of new blood in the 36-man All Blacks team for the Tri-Nations in Australia, many of whom have yet to win their first test matches.

But while they still haven’t had a chance to impact the team on the field on game day, Savea said the young players added a lot to the camp.

“It’s amazing to see all the new kids come in and be themselves and express who they are,” explained Saves.

“We have some unique personalities on our team, but it’s amazing that our culture and environment allow them to be themselves and shine off the field. That allows them to be who they are on the field.

“It’s amazing to see. You see yourself when you first walked in; when I first walked in, I was pretty, not reserved, but a little nervous, where these guys are just themselves and having fun doing it, so It lifts my spirits and I’m sure it lifts their spirits throughout the team.

“Guys like Caleb (Clarke), he’s always singing and dancing at the hotel, which is something I love to do, so it’s a good reminder to enjoy every day, then when we go out to the paddock it’s mahi time. It’s been good . “

With just three games remaining on the All Blacks schedule for 2020, there is no guarantee that every player on the team will have playing time.

But whether they do or not, simply being on the team gives them the vital experience to improve their own skills, while, as All Blacks assistant coach John Plumtree explained, it plays an important role for the 23 players who make up the team on the day of the game.

“The group that helped prepare the All Blacks for the past two weeks has been outstanding,” Plumtree said.

“They’ve put us under pressure in training and provided very good opposition during the week when we really need it – when the intensity of our week increases these guys have been outstanding and have been congratulated by the older players all the time, and You can see that these young people love their job, providing that kind of competition for the guys during the week.

“It’s a pretty big tour, but if we can get all the guys that we have here at some point, we have a lot of new guys like Du’Plessis Kirifi, Peter Umaga-Jensen, if we can get those guys in the park they toast a guy Different energy to the team and an excitement that carries over with young players who haven’t played for the All Blacks or maybe just came off the bench once.

“The ultimate reward for them is giving them a chance. We will definitely see that; I’m not saying it will happen to everyone, but it is something we are seriously considering.”