England v New Zealand
All Blacks must be smart: Kieran Read
November 14, 2013
New Zealand's loss at Twickenham last December has been consigned to history, Kieran Read says © PA Photos
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New Zealand are focused not on revenge but on marking Dan Carter's 100th game with a good performance when they play England at Twickenham on Saturday, Kieran Read says.

Carter, 31, is set to become just the fifth All Blacks player to win 100 caps, but Read said the fly-half was concentrating only on doing his best for the side and that his team-mates had a similar focus in order to do well for Carter. The idea of wanting to avenge last year's 38-21 loss had not been used as motivation at all, he said.

"It can affect you if you start chasing your tails," Read said when asked about last season's loss at Twickenham. "Certainly you don't like losing in a black jersey, but there are a lot of things that have changed in the last 12 months. It is a completely different team in a different place right now.

"You want to win every time you play, and that is our mindset this week."

New Zealand know the threat contained in the England side, which has lost only the Six Nations decider against Wales since beating the All Blacks last year.

"This is a massive test and we have got to be smart," Read said. "We are in good shape. We do a lot of homework, and the coaches do, too.

"As players, you are expected to do that as well. You can assume a few things, but you have to make sure you know exactly what they are going to be doing on the field."

© Sportal

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