Richie Mo’unga has challenged the All Blacks to produce another ruthless performance in their final World Cup pool game against Uruguay.
The All Blacks play the No.17-ranked Uruguayans on Friday morning after thrashing Italy 96-17 in Lyon on Saturday in an effort high on skill and commitment.
A victory against Uruguay at the Parc Olympique Lyonnais will secure them a place in the quarter-finals in Paris, but Mo’unga insisted in a media conference overnight that the All Blacks weren’t thinking beyond this week.
They were clinical and occasionally thrilling in putting 14 tries past Italy, a performance likely to breathe a little confidence into a side which fell to France in the tournament opener.
But backing it up, as they did in the Rugby Championship when they put together three quality performances against Argentina, South Africa and Australia, was key Mo’unga said.
"The reality is we have to get this week right to get to next week. The facts are we don't have a quarter-final booked. That's the focus of the team, this week and this week only.
"It's being [for the team] really obsessed by today and what that looks like.
"Going back-to-back with dominant performances means a lot to us and not being satisfied with Italy. It's about taking that next step and building on that or all that hard work will be undone."
There is no doubt that the pack’s ability to roll forward and generate momentum against Italy was crucial in creating so many attacking opportunities, which the All Blacks did well to finish.
Loose forward Shannon Frizell’s return from injury was a big success, as was Jordie Barrett’s in the midfield. Both bring size and physicality on both sides of the ball and they were missed at the Stade de France three weeks ago.
"A big part of what we are about this year is DNA and what we put our hat on as a team," Mo’unga added.
"It's nothing special or nothing secret, winning dominance in our carries and our cleans sets us up to play eyes-up footy, which we are really good at. Also, relying on our forwards to execute and put pressure on their set piece.
"You see games where we haven't performed well, penalties, set pieces and getting stuck in the wrong areas of the field have been the main problems."
Mo’unga said he was eager to play against Uruguay, and Ian Foster’s selections this week will be interesting with a quarter-final almost certainly approaching.
Tyrel Lomax, Samisoni Taukei’aho and Tamaiti Williams are candidates to start in the front row, with Sam Whitelock a possibility to replace either Brodie Retallick or Scott Barrett in the second row.
Sam Cane requires game time on his return from a back problem so will likely start at No.7, with Ethan Blackadder a possibility to be named in the squad after joining as injury cover. Frizell and Jordie Barrett also need more time on the field, with Damian McKenzie dazzling at fullback on his introduction off the bench and a possibility to start against Uruguay.
Mo’unga himself navigated the All Blacks coolly against Italy and he kicked nine out of 10 conversions.
The difficulty for Foster will be maintaining that momentum and combinations the All Blacks built against Italy.
Midfielder Anton Lienert-Brown, meanwhile, paid credit to Ardie Savea’s leadership and on-field performances as stand-in captain.
"There's different types of leaders but one of the important things is that you perform out there on the field and Ardie does that in bucket-loads every time and he was pretty special on Friday night," Lienert-Brown said.
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