Collins in mood for historic encounter

Justin Collins leads Auckland tonight. Picture / Kenny Rodger

Maybe it's because Auckland's usual skipper is down with a fever that his stunt double for tonight's match against the Lions appears so cool.

Justin Collins won the nod to carry the captain's armband onto Eden Park this evening after Xavier Rush failed to recover from a dose of glandular fever, a nasty ailment once known among hormonal teenagers as the kissing disease.

But if anyone was nervous about the switch, Collins seemed immune yesterday. Instead he was adopting a "she'll be right" approach with an understated hint of self-deprecation.

"Well, I haven't had many opportunities to [captain the side]. The skipper in the last few years has been pretty indestructible ... I've been here a few years now, with the likes of [assistant coach] Grant Fox and others, so it's just a proud moment, really, to lead them out."

He wasn't getting too wound up about the predicted smash-and-bash approach of his international opponents either: "I just see it as another game for Auckland ... it'll just be a bigger step up than usual."

Nor about their merry band of wandering drinkers who will probably outshout, if not outnumber, the local fans: "That doesn't change a hell of a lot. It always seems about 60/40 at home games, there is always a bit of support for the opposition."

With the blindside loosie yet to sit in the changing shed with his whole team around him - several stars, such as winger Joe Rokocoko, have been in Australia with the Junior All Blacks - Collins has also left any worry about pre-match motivation to the players themselves.

"There are a lot of guys in this team with a lot of talent, but there's no pressure on them. It'll be up to them if they want to put their hand up," he said.

If there are any grand speeches before kick-off, it will most likely be a repeat screening of Robin Williams' "seize the day" oration from the movie Dead Poet's Society.

"The build-up has been reasonably difficult, some of the guys have only got here in the last couple of days, so ... it has been a bit hard. We'll have to make up for it with a bit of enthusiasm ... We've got history with the Lions, so I'll be letting the team know that it's our history and we want to make it."