Rugby: ABs eager to get under roof

All Black debutant Elliot Dixon goes through lineout practice at Forsyth Barr Stadium yesterday....
All Black debutant Elliot Dixon goes through lineout practice at Forsyth Barr Stadium yesterday. Photos by Peter McIntosh.
It has been away for more than two years - so it is long overdue - but test rugby is back under the roof and everything points to a spectacle at Forsyth Barr Stadium tonight.

The All Blacks will be looking to go to another level and complete a clean sweep over the Welsh, with a couple of new local lads out to make an impact.

It is the final throw of the dice for Wales, which has put up a fair fight in the first two tests, only to fall asleep at exactly the wrong time.

With its last win over the All Blacks 63 years ago, it needs to stop what is a serious case of rot.

But it appears a slim chance, if any.

The All Blacks have not lost a test in the June international window break since 2009 and that run of victories is unlikely to be broken tonight.

The side is building for the important tests later in the year while Wales - no matter what it says - will surely have one foot on the plane home.

It is advantage All Blacks and now it has to deliver on the field.

All Black captain Kieran Read said the side was looking forward to getting out on the dry paddock and putting some impressive performances together.

"I think the guys are excited and have been given a new opportunity. A couple of local lads, who are going to go out there, and really rip in,'' Read said.

"It is a nice mix out there. As a team we want to deliver a really great performance so we can go out there and put an exclamation mark on the series.''

But Read and his team-mates know it is not just going to happen.

The basics of the game still have to be done. A strong set piece, rugged defence and efficiency around the ruck are still the keys to any good performance.

The All Blacks will be targeting a cleaner breakdown and being a bit smarter in that area.

Read knows the side must do the essentials early and it is not about to write the cheques before putting some money in the bank.

"You can't expect to go out and dominate teams straight away. The Welsh will be up for it and sometimes it takes 45 to 50 minutes and other times it takes 70 minutes . . .

We want a bit more control in our game and dictate our terms.

"We are not too worried about tries. We just want to be physically demanding on the Welsh and we have certainly shown when we have got it right it has paid dividends. We want to get out there and play as well as we can.''

The dry turf under the roof will work to the All Blacks' advantage and it will want to get its game under way.

"It is nice to have a roof over the heads. You know what to expect. The crowd it is going to be really loud. It's going to be a hectic game with an intensity right up there.''

New boy Elliot Dixon will be champing at the bit and his abrasiveness will be used by the home team.

He will be nervous but being on home soil and family in the stand is a big help in his debut effort.

Fellow Highlanders Liam Squire and Lima Sopoaga will want to get on the field at some stage and their experience of the wide open spaces of the stadium will undoubtedly help the All Blacks' cause.

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