Read relishing Murrayfield challenge


All Blacks captain Kieran Read said his side will be drawing on the inspiration their midweek team provided when beating the France XV when meeting Scotland in Edinburgh.

The different preparation resulting from the midweek game in Lyon had been refreshing and the Test starters got a kick out of seeing those chosen for the All Blacks that night play well.

"[There's] a lot of pressure on us to try and back up the character they showed and it has been really nice to get here and just focus on the back end of the week," he said.

Read said he was feeling no problems with his hip flexor injury after going through processes on Thursday and Friday to check it out and he was ready to play.

He expected Scotland would look to throw the ball around and attack while also looking to do their work up front.

"We always want to be a ruthless side and put teams away [but] Test matches aren't supposed to be easy. The majority of teams we play, play one of their best games of the season against us.

"We've just got to be disciplined and try to stick to our game plan as much as we can for the full 80. If we do that we certainly give ourselves a good chance of winning and if we can perform a lot better than the second half last week we will certainly be happy," he said.

Read said he had a lot of respect for what Scotland had achieved in the last few years, their effort at the Rugby World Cup and they probably hadn't had the placings they deserved over that time.

The All Blacks were aware of their never having lost against Scotland but their success was just part of their wanting to beat every team and by respecting Scotland they would have the chance to produce a quality performance.

Read said he had fond memories of playing at Murrayfield – it was where he made his Test debut in a 32-6 win in 2008 and he loved the ground, the atmosphere and the people.

He recalled being concerned he didn't fall over when running onto the ground for his first Test because it was pitch black. But he also remembered his opponent on the blindside of the scrum that day was 63-Test veteran Jim Hamilton who had been a great rival and who gave him his Scotland jersey after the game.

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