Durban - They clinched the Rugby Championship title with two rounds to go and are still unbeaten in eight matches this year alone, but the All Blacks feel that they can get even better in Saturday's clash against the Springboks in Durban.
The world champions have swept all before them this year, dispatching Wales 3-0 in June before winning all five Championship games against Australia (twice), Argentina (twice) and the Springboks in Christchurch.
The next big goal for coach Steve Hansen's team is to draw level with the Boks' world record of 17 consecutive Test wins for a tier-one nation by winning at Kings Park on Saturday, which would give them a shot at setting a new mark against Australia on October 22 in Auckland.
But star lock Brodie Retallick said in Durban that the Kiwis haven't quite produced an 80-minute performance this season and are keen to do just that against the Boks.
The ultimate Test for New Zealand has always been beating the Boks in South Africa, and after Allister Coetzee's team halted a three-match winless streak by beating Australia 18-10 in Pretoria at the weekend, Retallick believes that the home side will have a lot of confidence.
The South Africans may look to take on the All Black with their forwards after Argentina made life difficult upfront in the second half of last week's 36-17 victory in Buenos Aires.
The New Zealand No 4 is also wary of the challenge presented by the Bok lineout, where Eben Etzebeth and Pieter-Steph du Toit will look to get the better of Sam Whitelock and Retallick, while the Kiwis also have additional lineout options in the fit-again flank Jerome Kaino and Patrick Tuipulotu, who started in place of Whitelock against Argentina.
“Like each week it is going to be a great contest, especially against South Africa, and we always know it is going to be tough,” Retallick said. “It's been a long time since he (Tuipulotu) played 80 minutes and he did extremely well to do it, and he did it very well.”
Fullback Ben Smith said that while Los Pumas had placed the All Blacks under pressure, the Kiwis had done well to get through it and are now fully focused on beating the Boks for the ninth time in 10 Test matches.
“I think they (Argentina) put us under a lot of pressure in that second half and it was probably more for the big boys. They had a few scrums there and put us under a bit of pressure there,” Smith said.
“We know how big the challenge is to play in Argentina and South Africa, and we have looked forward to that challenge, we've been in Argentina and now in South Africa and doing this job. That is what excites the team, the challenge of playing the Springboks in South Africa is a huge one and it's one they'll be really ready for.”
African News Agency (ANA)