ANDY FARRELL is aiming to turn the All Blacks’ Eden Park fortress into a house of pain.
The hardman coach made himself a Lions legend by delivering his inspirational speech before beating Australia four years ago.
Farrell hauntingly told his men, “We are taking them boys to the hurt arena this weekend — you shock yourself by taking yourself to another level” before the decisive 41-16 Third Test victory in Oz.
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Now the defence guru is telling his 2017 Lions to go even further and rip into New Zealand with an extreme level of physicality never seen before.
Farrell said: “We’re going to have to take ourselves to a place that, individually, we’ve not been to before. Physically I don’t think we’ve disappointed so far but will we need to up our game? Certainly we will.
“The boys realise that and are excited by that challenge.
“The game has cranked up. The All Blacks have certainly got better over the last four years and are reigning supreme.
“We’ve got to get close to that.
“It’s going to be a hell of a game. I know we’ll turn up and we’re a good side brimming for a big challenge. Mentally and physically we’ll be ready.
“It’ll be interesting to see how the two teams marry together, the chemistry of that, who adapts well on the run. That’s what the All Blacks have been very good at over the last period of time. We’ve got to be aware of that.”
Steve Hansen’s world champs are already braced for a battering as the Lions bid to become the first visiting Test side to win at the famous Eden Park stadium in 23 years.
Farrell’s defence held New Zealand’s best Super Rugby side, the Crusaders, to a solitary penalty nine days ago and now they are ready to take things to the next level in the three-Test series.
Farrell – who played rugby league and union for England before turning to coaching with Saracens — said: “It’s about who balances that out well in the heat of the battle.
“Who deals with the pressure best, who deals with the situation and makes the best decisions on the run.
“We feel that we’ve got a game and the players to play in all sorts of ways. I think you’ll have to do that over the course of three games.”
Gatland today sends his ‘midweek XV’ out against the Chiefs in his old stomping ground of Hamilton — where he made a record 140 appearances as a hooker for Waikato and scored a try AGAINST the Lions in the province’s famous 1993 victory.
And tomorrow, 30,000-plus Lions fans are due to start arriving in time for the Auckland showdown.
The Lions boss has already stirred up a hornets’ nest by labelling the All Blacks cheats over illegal blocking.
Evergreen New Zealand flanker hit back, insisting the world champions’ tactics are within the laws.
The Blues back-row rapped: “Every other team does the same.
“You play the fine margins and if you play to those limits I don’t see anything wrong. As long as you are within the rules, I don’t see any problem.”
Kaino, 34, wins his 78th cap on Saturday but his first against the Lions 12 years after playing for his Super Rugby side against Clive Woodward’s tourists.
Kaino, who made his All Blacks debut in 2006, added: “The Lions Tests in 2005 were amazing.
“The whole country got amongst it and all the Lions fans added to everything and it is a similar feeling this time around.
“You don’t think your professional career is going to last more than ten years and I feel blessed to be here.
“You always want to measure yourself against the best. And the way the northern hemisphere teams have been playing the last couple of years, especially in the forwards, has definitely set standards.”
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