Unhappy All Blacks wary of Irish passion
Veteran loose forward Jerome Kaino told reporters in Chicago that they were not happy with their performance in their 37-10 Bledisloe Cup win two weeks ago and he feels Ireland will be looking at that game to try and exploit their weaknesses.
"We weren't happy with the last performance and want to go out on Soldier Field and put out a complete performance," Kaino told allblacks.com.
"I'm sure the coaches will touch on the winning streak and that we haven't lost to Ireland, but it won't be at the top of our list of being motivated – but it will be there somewhere.
"I've had a couple of good games against Ireland. They haven't been easy and one that springs to mind in Dublin was 2008 at Croke Park. It would be one of the toughest games I've played against Ireland. I've got a fairly good idea of what's coming. They're very passionate guys and they never give up.
"The guys who have played Ireland before will be trying to share with the boys who haven't played against Ireland to get ready," he said.
Kaino was surprised by Sean O'Brien's absence in Ireland's squad for the match. However, he feels that whoever was named in the side would step up and perform well.
O'Brien, Iain Henderson and Peter O'Mahony (all injury-related), along with Paddy Jackson, unavailable due to personal reasons, will not make the trip to Chicago.
"They still have their [loose forwards] leader Jamie Heaslip there who is a major threat for them with how many touches he has with the ball and the way he leads the team, so he will still be inspirational being in the [No.] 8 jersey," Kaino added.
The match at Soldier Field is the first of two meetings between the two sides in November. They will meet again on November 19 in Dublin.
Source: @AllBlacks
