New Zealand
All Blacks will 'adapt and change' to keep winning
ESPN Staff
November 26, 2013
New Zealand will keep pushing themselves to improve, Kieran Read says © Getty Images
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New Zealand must adapt their game next year to keep ahead of the pack, Kieran Read says in the wake of professional rugby's first perfect Test campaign.

The 100% campaign would be a lifelong source of pride, but the New Zealanders would return after a summer break to continue the quest for advances in the game, Read told sportinglife.com.

"People will talk about how good this team is, but our job is to go out and win Test matches," Read said. "We've created a real bond in this squad and we're right up there with everyone able to do the job. You can't look too far ahead in this game, you've got to adapt and change. Play like we did this year next year, and it won't be good enough. Teams are improving all the time, so we've got to keep doing that too, that's one thing we've learned over the years."

Ireland captain Paul O'Connell agreed, saying the All Blacks boasted an outstanding record but the efforts of France, England and Ireland suggested the rest of the world was closing the gap.

"You have to give credit to their character," O'Connell said of the All Blacks' efforts in Europe that were capped by their never-say-die performance in Dublin "They're had some tight games in recent times and they've stayed collected to get over the line. They've been winning for a while now. They had that momentum at the end of this game that comes from confidence. Everything becomes a little bit easier sometimes when you have that but nothing lasts forever."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd with AAP and Sportal

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