Growing up, rugby wasn’t a major part of my life. However, as my interest in the sport blossomed, the New Zealand team of 2015 became the first to truly captivate me. Their exceptional lineup, featuring stars like Dan Carter, Richie McCaw, Sonny Bill Williams, and Beauden Barrett, left a lasting impression. The All Blacks have long been the benchmark in rugby, and it’s surreal to now find myself competing against Barrett, a player I admired not so long ago. His accomplishments command immense respect.

Our strategy involves scrutinizing every opponent to identify vulnerabilities, and New Zealand is no exception. In our last three clashes with them, the outcomes were incredibly close, with a mere 10 points separating us across those games. Heading into Saturday’s match, we carry the momentum of a nine-game unbeaten streak. This run reflects our strength and growth as a team since our previous encounter with the All Blacks.

Securing a victory would significantly boost our squad’s confidence. We believe we’re capable of standing toe-to-toe with the world’s elite. Regardless of this weekend’s result, our self-belief remains intact. However, a win would not only reinforce our confidence but also extend our undefeated streak, which is crucial for us.

Facing the All Blacks, I’ve managed to score three tries in as many matches, which reassures me of my ability to compete fiercely for the full 80 minutes. Those narrow defeats have been valuable learning experiences, despite the initial disappointment. Last autumn, we fell short by just two points. While some may attribute that loss to a missed drop goal or penalty, the reality is more complex.

In my three matches against the All Blacks, I’ve scored three tries. It gives me confidence knowing I can hang with them in that space for 80 minutes.   

Those narrow losses can’t be overlooked by us. They provide great learnings, even if they were painful at the time. Last autumn, we lost by two points. People will look at that game and say it came down to a missed drop goal or penalty. That’s not the reality.

Scoring against New Zealand last year gives me great confidence I can hang with the All Blacks for 80 minutes

The last three defeats we’ve suffered against New Zealand have all been by such fine margins, losing by just 10 points across those matches

The truth is that across a Test match, there are a million and one different scenarios that determine the outcome. What Steve Borthwick and the coaches have been really good at is preparing us for every possible scenario we can come across.

Crucially, we’ve placed a big emphasis on staying composed in the big moments. There will be lots of them against New Zealand and we’ll have to nail almost all of them to win.

The atmosphere for an All Blacks game is always on another level. Coming out the tunnel, there’s the flames and the fireworks and I’ll try to make sure I take it all in before the anthems begin. I try to look out for my family in the crowd. I love the anthems and the Haka. It allows me to properly dial into the game and concentrate. Once that’s done, I’m ready to go.

These are the teams you want to play against. To see the Haka in person is pretty cool. It obviously gets New Zealand up for the game but it does the same for us. It’s great to be a part of. When we played New Zealand at home last year, the Haka started and the whole crowd sung Swing Low, Sweet Chariot. It was so good. We want the same atmosphere again from our fans.

I’ve got quite a few family coming to this game – my dad, brother, sister, my brother’s girlfriend and her family. There are some of my cousins too. I’ve had to get 13 tickets in total. As a player, our allowance is 15 for the autumn so I’m pretty much using it for this game! It’s great my family will be there to share the experience.

Like me, they didn’t know a whole lot about rugby before I started playing. But they’re really starting to get into it. Some of them are still not sure what’s going on. Rugby is a hard game to understand! It’s just nice they want to come. They really enjoy the atmosphere. 

My family were a bit concerned after I was taken out in the air by Fiji’s Selestino Ravutaumada last weekend. I got lucky and landed on my front. I’ve seen some of the pictures of me in the air and I thought one of them must have been Photoshopped. I didn’t realise I’d got so high!

Fiji was so tough. I’ve never been late-shotted as many times as I was in that game. It was pretty physical. I don’t mind running into contact. But the Fijians line you up! They left some shoulder imprints on me, but it was definitely a really good test for us before New Zealand. To go into the game on the back of two wins against Australia and Fiji is a good position for us to be in.  

The demands of Test rugby are pretty brutal physically. I’m only 22, but I’m in bits the day after a game and limping all over the place.

My family were a bit concerned after I was taken out in the air by Fiji’s Selestino Ravutaumada last weekend 

I’ve seen some of the pictures of me in the air and I thought one of them must have been Photoshopped. I didn’t realise I’d got so high!

I got lucky and landed on my front. But Fiji was so tough. I haven’t ever been late-shotted as many times as I was in that game. It was pretty physical

To try and counteract that, I get in the ice bath in the changing room immediately to calm down all the bumps and bruises. I find hot and cold water therapy really good and love a spa! I try to get moving on a Sunday.

I used to do nothing all day, but actually, that was worse for me. I’ve learned active recovery is best, so I try and get on the bike or in the pool. The aches and pains the day after the game are all worth it on the back of a win.

We’re all hopeful of that being the case on Sunday morning. We know we’ll have to produce a near-perfect performance to win. But we also have a quiet confidence we can do just that. It’s going to be an amazing game.

I just can’t wait to be a part of it. It’s something I never thought would happen to me when I used to watch the All Blacks on TV.