'After watching the Aussies on the weekend...': Richie Mo'unga's take on Wallabies

Richie Mo’unga is expecting to face a Wallabies team full of confidence when the All Blacks host their trans-Tasman rivals at Eden Park next weekend.

Mo’unga, who has faced the Wallabies a dozen times in his All Blacks career, commended the men from across the ditch for their hard-fought win over the Springboks last weekend as he laid out his expectations for the coming Bledisloe Cup series.

The 42-38 victory was the fifth straight win to begin Les Kiss’ time at the helm of the one-time world champions, and Mo’unga expects it will have put a spring in their step coming into the famed annual series.

“After watching the Aussies on the weekend, it should be really exciting,” he told D’Arcy Waldegrave on Newstalk ZB after the All Blacks announced their 34-man squad for the two Tests.

“Even if you take the weekend’s result out of the equation, any Aussie team you play against is a real threat. I think after the weekend, they would have grown an arm and a leg. So we’ve got a big challenge ahead as a team, but one we’re really looking forward to. We can’t wait to get stuck in.”

The All Blacks are on an 11-game winning run against Australia, stretching back to the very beginning of the decade. Mo’unga hasn’t faced the men in gold since a game-winning performance off the bench in Dunedin ahead of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

His national team has burned through one head coach in that time and introduced another ahead of the current season, cycling through different philosophies, systems and personnel with each change.

“A lot was new,” Mo’unga said, reflecting on his highly anticipated return to the team last month. “I came back in, and I met half the team for the first time; the likes of a Wallace Sititi and a Peter Lakai – those guys weren’t there when I was last here, or even in Super Rugby. As well as meeting new teammates for the first time, meeting new coaching staff, and just the different way the All Blacks are operating now, it was really good to get in and learn.

“One thing still remains the same: it’s the high intensity, the pressure of the environment, and the level of rugby that you have to be playing. You have to be operating at a really high level to be part of this team.”

The playmaker says it’s “just business as usual” in his role within the team, working hard and making sure to enjoy the ride. The former of those points has only been elevated by the introduction of new head coach Dave Rennie.

“I’d had a few conversations with him during my years in Japan, but to be in a team run by him, it’s been really awesome. One thing I really do enjoy about Rens is how honest and transparent he is with each and every single one of the players. He’s really honest with what he expects. And he’s just a good human and has really big plans for this All Blacks team and the way we want to play and spread the ball, which is exciting for me as a player that likes to do that as well.

“One thing that he has given us is free rein and license to play what we see. He likes a game that’s high tempo, and that we express ourselves and use our skills to do that. But he also has a few philosophies of rugby that, you know, when it comes down to breakdown and support and work ethic around the field, it’s pretty clear.

“Those are the things he’s given us, and with the rest, he lets us sort of run and use our skills and our vision to do the rest.”

With Ruben Love injured, Mo’unga is expected to have a big workload in the coming Test series. However, with the All Blacks squad not coming together until Sunday, the 32-year-old isn’t getting ahead of himself.

“With Ruben out, it’s still not clear-cut that I’m the one to do the job,” he insisted.