WALES IN NZ: 2nd Test team reaction

The players selected to start the match have been speaking about how they aim to up their game to deliver a performance for the full 80 minutes of play.

Scrum half Mike Phillips declared: ”There are a lot of positives we can take from the first game. We have got to believe in ourselves and believe that we can turn things around.”

Centre Jonathan Davies admits he knows the scale of the task facing Wales at the Waikato Stadium but cannot wait to get started.

He has been chosen to wear the number 13 jersey alongside Jamie Roberts in the centre with Dan Biggar at outside half.

Davies said: ”Our backs are up against the wall so we are under pressure to perform and I am really looking forward to it. It’s going to be a tough challenge but as a professional rugby player you wait for these chances and you relish them.

“The boys want to put all the wrongs right so that we can finish this tour on a high. We need to play a lot smarter, stop the turnovers and take all the chances we are presented with on the day.”

He said he is looking forward to playing alongside Jamie Roberts in a back line with plenty of pace.

He added: ”We both know our qualities and we we know we can do well for the team by bringing plenty of variation to the play. The All Blacks have got gas, but we’ve got pace in abundance as well.”

While he gets his first start the Dragons No 7 Gavin Thomas is preparing to relive a battle he began on his comeback game last Saturday when the All Blacks won by 42 points to 9 at Carisbrook in Dunedin.

He said:”For a couple of days after the first test we were quite down but that’s been shaken off now and I am really looking forward to it.

“To get called up to this squad was immense for me and it’s incredibly exciting to be here. It has gone well for me at the Dragons this year and you have to be on form to compete at this level.”