Pocock (23), the stand-out player for the Wallabies last year, matching Richie McCaw on the openside flank, last visited Carisbrook in 2007 when he watched from the bench for Australia A.
"I remember we got beaten by 40-odd and it was a long, cold night," Pocock said.
Pocock though has come a long way since then, usurping George Smith on the openside flank for the Wallabies and becoming a key man for the side as the most important of years for Australian rugby looms on the horizon.
"For Australian rugby this is a huge year with having the World Cup in New Zealand and everything that goes with that and the games beforehand. But from a player's point of view you're trying to focus on the last few games of Super rugby and then the squads will be picked.
"In Australia you have a lot of competition from the AFL and rugby league but once it [World Cup] starts coming around and the press starts getting into it then the Australian public will get in behind."
Australia won the last time it played the All Blacks, with a last-gasp victory in Hong Kong.
"It was great to get that win in Hong Kong, especially after we lost something like nine in a row to them. Last year we felt like we were a team improving but we just kept falling short.
"But it is a new year this year and a lot of hard work ahead.
There are a lot of teams really starting to look pretty good."
He felt the key to success at the international level this year was getting the preparation right, maintaining experience and getting the best team on the paddock.
Pocock had a light training run yesterday at Montecillo, as he continues to shrug off injury niggles. He has battled a knee injury this season but should be right this Friday night to face the Highlanders.
The Force sits in 12th place on the table, but has been far from disgraced, having led in nine of its 13 games with 15 minutes to go.
"It's been that sort of season for us. We've got to learn how to win and have the ability to close out games. It is a learning process for our squad who are still young. If we can keep our squad together then we can get better."
Concerns over the depth of Australian rugby were nothing new, with three of the teams in the bottom four from across the ditch, Pocock said.
"They said there were concerns about depth when we had four teams. Now with Melbourne on board there are plenty of questions about the depth. But in the long run it should be good for Australian rugby. It is just about growing the game, getting the results to get the fans involved."
The Force confirmed yesterday that star utility back James O'Connor would not play on Friday night as he stays in Perth to rest from injuries.
