All Blacks fullback Jordie Barrett has shrugged aside media apathy in AFL-obsessed Melbourne in the lead-up to Thursday’s Rugby Championship match between New Zealand and Australia to concentrate on defeating the Wallabies in front of their home crowd.
The game at Docklands Stadium will also serve as the opening match of this year’s Bledisloe Cup between the two nations, with New Zealand aiming to win the trans-Tasman series for the twentieth consecutive year.
In Melbourne, though, the spotlight has been on the AFL preliminary finals on Friday and Saturday, preceding the Grand Final the following week, diverting attention away from Barrett and his teammates.
Barrett stated, “It’s AFL finals week, so there’s a lot going on, but more importantly, we have a Bledisloe to win.”
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“We’re rested, we’ve had a few days off, and we’re facing an Australian side that’s still smarting from last week’s loss to South Africa, so there’s a terrific mood around camp.
“It was amazing to comprehend a unique game. It is an intriguing thought to comprehend an entire city that is obsessed with one sport.”
New Zealand leads Australia, South Africa, and Argentina by one point in the Rugby Championship standings heading into the last two rounds of the southern hemisphere championship after a string of inconsistent performances this year.
Barrett emphasized that the All Blacks would not be arrogant in their pursuit of another victory against the Australians.
“Whether or not everyone is talking about us, we have a task to do; we must prepare accordingly,” he stated.
“There’s an Australian side that hasn’t played in the Bledisloe in a long time, so if we fall short in terms of preparation, we leave ourselves vulnerable, so we’re going to nail each day this week.”
Reuters