All Blacks loose forward Ardie Savea took time out to pray after a red card led to his "confusing" early substitution during the loss to Ireland on Saturday night.
Savea made way for a replacement just after the 30th minute mark as Angus Ta'avao was given his marching orders for a tackle on Garry Ringrose that led to a head clash.
The red card reduced the All Blacks to 13 men for a period with Leicester Fainga'anuku having already been yellow carded.
"I was confused like everyone else," Savea said of the substitution on Monday afternoon.
He then went on to describe how he spent his time on the sideline.
"I was a bit frustrated and to be honest I wasn’t even watching the game, selfishly on my behalf, but on the sideline I thought about who I was and kind of just prayed a little bit and it came to me what I can do now for the team.
"In the halftime sheds I was encouraging the boys to keep going," Savea said.
He added that the loss "hurt a lot" and the team has now "taken it all in".
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When asked about the outside noise surrounding the team right now, Savea said.
"For us it’s about staying tight and connected, trusting what we do have."
The No.8 was relishing the chance to face Ireland in the deciding Test in his hometown.
"The best place to do it is in Wellington, the best city in New Zealand, the world in fact."
The All Blacks' decider with Ireland kicks off at 7:05pm on Saturday in Wellington.
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