New Zealand hooker Dane Coles says Saturday’s 51-20 defeat of Australia at Eden Park has set the standard for the All Blacks for the remainder of The Rugby Championship.
The Kiwis, who host the British & Irish Lions in 2017, bounced back from the 12-all draw against the Wallabies in Sydney the previous week with a resounding win to keep hold of the Bledisloe Cup for the 12th successive season.
The New Zealand pack was dominant all game – captain Richie McCaw crossing the whitewash twice, with Kieran Read and Steven Luatua also touching down.
And Coles admits the stern words from coaches Steve Hansen and Mike Cron were enough to inspire the All Blacks to return to winning ways against their rivals.
“They wanted us to be tough and just dominate,” said Coles. “When you've got guys like (forwards coach) Mike Cron and (head coach) Steve Hansen saying that to you you take those things on board.
“(They said) we had to go to a few dark places tonight and I think we did that.
“We've put a stake in the sand and we'll just have to keep improving. I don't want another kick up the backside from (the coaches) to say that we need to perform. It's just all about personal pride in your performance so we'll just keep building.”
