What is on the line is the All Blacks’ 12-match unbeaten streak against the Wallabies and Barrett says the best teams are judged by their consistency, not one-off results.
“I want to back them up,” he said. “We got another challenge here in Sydney this week against a good Australian side who have a great record, particularly in Australia at home.
“We know how tough this is going to be and we’ve spoken about how, if we want to go to where we want to go as a team, we’ve got to put up back-to-back performances. So hopefully we can keep our standards high.
“There’s no trophy to play for but internally there’s some habits and standards and a legacy that demands All Blacks to back up and represent your country.
“We want to maintain a really high standard and win on Saturday. There’s no trophy to play for, but our ambition and our goals haven’t really changed.”
Another focus for the All Blacks will be what they can take from their week in Sydney ahead of next year’s Rugby World Cup.
The All Blacks’ pool match against the Wallabies will be played at Accor Stadium and, should they progress deep into the tournament, all of their matches from the quarter-finals onwards will also be played in Sydney.
The All Blacks have won their last five games against the Wallabies at the venue, but their overall record there against Australia stands at 13 wins, six defeats and a draw.
“It’s invaluable touring Australia, getting experience over here in what is a big 12 months and a new coaching group,” Barrett said.
“There’s a lot of young boys in this group as well that are getting good minutes and anytime we can spend playing against the Wallabies or touring, it’s just going to put us in better stead going forward.
“There’s a massive challenge this week and there’s some questions going to be asked.”
All Blacks assistant coach Tana Umaga admits the World Cup, which kicks off on October 1 next year, is beginning to come into view for the team.
“We’ve got to make sure that we’re putting pieces together and building nicely for that,” Umaga said.
“These are important. Every game’s important. And as All Blacks, every game’s important.
“The expectation is that … from our fans, our people at home is that we win every game and that’s what we have to strive for. We know it’s tougher now than it was before and we’ve just got to keep working at it.”
All Blacks defence coach Tana Umaga. Photo / Photosport
Meanwhile, Barrett has credited Umaga for his performance at Eden Park, saying the defence coach gave him some points on where he could provide influence and impact the test match.
Umaga refused to take all the credit, but believes Barrett is on track to be remembered as one of the All Blacks’ best players.
“I think he’ll go down as one of the best we’ve had,” Umaga said.
“One of those attributes that all our good midfielders have is he’s a competitor. He wants to compete on every moment, every match and his consistency around his performance and his expectation of others.”
The test will be the All Blacks’ last before they head to the United Kingdom for matches against Scotland, Wales and England, followed by a Nations Championship finals match in November.
Ben Francis is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers breaking sports news.