Thursday 29 October 2015 16:55, UK
Former All Black Ali Williams urged his countrymen to view the pressure of playing in a World Cup final as a privilege.
During his appearance on Sky Sports' Rugby Club Agenda on Thursday, Williams admitted that he only felt nervous once in his career, and that the pressure of representing the number one side in the world was something he viewed as a privilege.
The All Blacks face Australia in the World Cup final at Twickenham on Saturday, and Williams is adamant that there's no way to avoid the nerves on the day, the only way to beat them is to use them to your advantage.
"There's no guarantees with this stuff, this is where the human influence comes into it," Williams said.
"It's one of those things that some guys are going to step up and really harness it. Some guys are going to unfortunately go into their shells.
"Some guys don't get nervous. I never got nervous. I only got nervous that first game of the World Cup in 2011, taking the kick-off. I've never been so nervous in my life!
"One of the things you say is that pressure is a privilege, it's my privilege to be here."
The former Toulon player said it's important for the players to enjoy the moment, but not allow the emotions to dictate their actions.
"There are two things. One, you really want to embrace the hype, the excitement and the fact that this only comes around every four years.
"And the second is that you're trying to stem all those emotions because you don't want to play the game too early.
"It's a bit of a mixture in terms of emotions and how you behave around them."
The ex-Blues and Crusaders second rower said there was the pressure of expectation for New Zealand to reach the final two, but now that they've made it, the pressure of winning is shared between them and Australia.
"I think the pressure was on the All Blacks to be in the final, and that's what everyone expected," said the 2011 World Cup winner.
"When it comes down to it a final is about the two best teams, and rugby is a beautiful game because both teams can win. There's no clear favourite here I don't think.
"So I don't think there's any pressure on the All Blacks to win."
Australia last beat the All Blacks during the Rugby Championship this year, running out 27-19 winners in Sydney, and the 77 test international believes they have the tools to trouble New Zealand again in the final, particularly in the tackle area.
"They've got a formula that's working with Pocock and Hooper, and then you've got Fardy who's the player not getting the credit which he deserves.
"The key area is the breakdown. The dominant guys in that are the back three of both sides. But before we get there the real key is the ball-runner. Is he going to get the momentum, is he going to go forward?
"We saw the Scots against Australia, they got real penetration and really made the Aussies go backwards. That's what takes out Hooper and Pocock."
Though official announcements have not yet been made, this game likely marks the end of the international careers of several influential All Blacks, including Richie McCaw and Dan Carter.
Despite this, Williams believes those players will shun hype surrounding their send-off.
"The All Blacks are not about individuals. It's not about that, this is about a team effort and a team wanting to achieve something as a group of guys.
"People will acknowledge it in their own special way with that person, but they're not going to make a hype about it.
"I know Richie will be saying 'No, no, no, it's not about us, this is about a team thing.
"You can't get away from it when it comes to the media and the likes, but as a team they'll be saying 'Hey, don't worry about that stuff, worry about what we need to do on the weekend'."
Watch the full episode of the World Cup Agenda with Ali Williams on demand
