New All Blacks skipper Ardie Savea says he's leaning on the support of the leaders surrounding him, as he prepares to lead New Zealand against the Wallabies in the third Bledisloe Cup test on Sunday.
After arriving in Australia without regular captain Sam Cane, and deputies Sam Whitelock and Aaron Smith, 27-year-old Savea has been named as Ian Foster's captain for the foreseeable future, with the All Blacks potentially based overseas until the end of November.
Savea will be joined by Beauden Barrett and Brodie Retallick as his two vice-captains.
Speaking on Sky Sport's The Breakdown, Savea says that being named captain initially came as a shock, but was looking forward to the challenge of upholding the standards of his predecessors.
"I was quite surprised actually, when I got told the news," he says.
"[I'm] pretty honoured and privileged to be able to be in that position and be able to carry on a legacy that's got rich history.
"[It's] a massive responsibility, but it's something to embrace and look forward to."
Savea is also confident in the large number of leaders within the All Blacks' camp, with many players also boasting captaincy experience.
Aside from Savea, Barrett and Retallick, the likes of Codie Taylor, Patrick Tuipulotu, Scott Barrett, TJ Perenara and Brad Weber have all captained at Super Rugby level.
Meanwhile, Savea is also confident that the likes of Cane, Whitelock, Smith and Dane Coles can continue to play a role from afar.
"We've got great leaders. Beauden [Barrett] and Brodie [Retallick] who are right beside me, they're great men to be able to lean on and just chat to.
"There's [TJ] Perenara that's here, and we've still got our brothers back at home who are there that we can lean on as well.
"There's a whole bunch of great leaders, in their natural ways, in our team. So I think we're in a great position there.
"It's just all about bringing collective minds together and being able to come together and move forward."
The All Blacks will have their work cut out for them against the Wallabies in Perth, returning to the scene of the infamous 47-26 defeat at Optus Stadium in 2019.
And with the Wallabies wanting to bounce back after their 57-22 defeat from Eden Park earlier this month, Savea knows that Dave Rennie's side will be dangerous.
"We know what the Aussies are like, especially after a loss. They're going to come out firing.
"So for us, it's all about making sure we're prepared, we nail our processes, we nail our week and our preparation in order for us to be ready on Sunday.
"For us, our mindset is about getting through these next couple of days, getting used to quarantine. Over the next day or two, that's when the mind will switch for our team [that] it's time to go to work."
Join Newshub for live updates of the third Bledisloe Cup test between the All Blacks and the Wallabies from 6pm Sunday.
