Returning All Blacks captain Kieran Read says his side needs to find their rhythm quickly against a hungry Wallabies side in tonight's opening Bledisloe Cup and Rugby Championship game in Sydney.
Read, who missed New Zealand's June Test series against France after undergoing spinal surgery in December, made a solid return in the latter stages of Super Rugby but the No.8 will be under scrutiny at ANZ Stadium.
Key lock Brodie Retallick also faces a significant adjustment as he plays Test rugby for the first time in 11 months due to personal reasons and injury.
The duo, with 177 Test caps between them, will need to get into the groove quickly, and Read was confident they ‑ and their teammates ‑ were up to the task.
Read anticipated another robust breakdown battle with old rivals David Pocock and Michael Hooper.
Read was looking forward to coming up against Crusaders teammate Pete Samu, who has been named as loose forward cover on the Wallabies bench.
The Wallabies will host the All Blacks at 10.05 tonight in the Bledisloe and Rugby Championship opener.
[Source: TVNZ]
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