According to the Wallabies prop Allan Alaalatoa any team that comes to take the All Blacks on will need excellence in the mindset to beat them, as well as perfection that is required in their forward and defensive play – mental strength counts for so much in rugby thesedays!
Alaalatoa arrived in the Newcastle camp of Wallabies along with the rest of the contingent of Brumbies on Thursday, but could feel the rising levels of anxiety amongst the home fans, he said, which sadly bodes well for the All Blacks.
He said, “I came in the last two sessions of the game, but to me it seems, I was there for the whole week. It was a test for me both physically and mentally. When you come down to those moments and feel that the training session is over, but then you have one more fitness drill, it is all about pushing yourself mentally to become comfortable in an environment which is uncomfortable”.
“Wallabies need a flawless performance in the game to beat the All Blacks team within less than three weeks’ time. To have a flawless performance, one has to be psychologically strong as well” he added. “For us it is very important, especially when it comes to going up opposite to the All Blacks, where the team has to be perfect to win against the All Blacks” he said.
“This is the reason that the mental aspect of the game is crucial, and the training sessions that we are taking will help us to build that. We all the getting some good training sessions” he said. The Wallabies match will be a good indicator as to how strong the All Blacks are, with a fixture coming up against England, after their matches with the British Lions were sold out on site after ticket-site over the summer, and ended up in a drawn series.
For Wallabies, Alaalatoa is the leaders of the next generation shaping the important pillars in the construction of team for the 2019 Rugby World Cup after the season of Super Rugby. The regular starts for the Wallabies and Brumbies have made him more confident and help him heading into next Test camp.