Ethan Blackadder isn't letting himself get too comfortable.
The 26-year-old has established himself as one of the country's brightest young loose forward talents, impressing at every level of the professional game. Most recently, he has made his mark at test level for the All Blacks with his high work rate and seemingly unlimited gas tank.
Blackadder will make his fourth test start – and eighth appearance – in the black jersey against Wales on Sunday morning, and said while he was settling in to test football nicely, he wouldn't describe his feeling as one of comfort.
"You still have to get the weeks right and be on your toes," Blackadder explained. "There's a lot of good competition here and you're never guaranteed the jersey. I enjoy every week we have and, picked or not, you've always got a role. So to be playing this weekend, it's unreal. I can't wait.
"It's always a real buzz because you just never know if you're getting named or not. So when you hear your name, it's like 'wowee'. It's pretty awesome. Every time your name gets read out is such a buzz."
Blackadder will be part of a rather mobile loose trio against Wales, with Dalton Papalii getting the start at openside and Ardie Savea packing down at the back of the scrum, while Akira Ioane provides cover on the bench.
While neither Blackadder nor Savea played in the side's crushing win over the United States last weekend, they impressed during their opportunities in the successful Rugby Championship campaign. Papalii, who missed the majority of the Rugby Championship due to injury, enjoyed a strong return against the USA last week and was rewarded with another start.
"We've been really delighted with Ethan and the way he's progressing, and we felt he warranted a start," All Blacks coach Ian Foster said. "He's filled a number of roles for us but it's a chance to really go out there and focus on his role at six.
"Dalton missed quite a bit of the Rugby Championship, came back through the States game last week and, again, he played really well at the start of the Rugby Championship and we felt he deserved a start here."
Ethan Blackadder has made a strong start to his test career. Photo / Photosport
Reflecting on the Rugby Championship tournament, Blackadder said it was a good learning curve for him heading into the tour of the Northern Hemisphere, particularly the tests against South Africa who play a similar brand of rugby to the nations in the north.
"You always have to be at your peak physically to be playing those top teams," Blackadder said. "You can't really be off, as such, because they'll punish you for it and there's no hiding out there.
"[Wales] are the Six Nations champs, so credit to them for that. All I know is it's going to be a big crowd and we're up against a good Welsh side. How good?"
Now more than halfway through their extended tour, the test against Wales is one of four remaining on their schedule for the year, with Italy, Ireland and France awaiting on the horizon.
For Blackadder, who is on his first tour with the national side, the experience isn't akin to that of many who have been abroad with the All Blacks in the past, as their opportunities to see the sights are limited by Covid-19 restrictions and protocols.
However, in Wales, he can at least say he is familiar with the sounds of the clock tower, which rings loudly nearby the team hotel.
"I thought my roomie was playing AC/DC's 'Hells Bells' but it was actually the clock tower going off, so there was some confusion there," Blackadder said.
All Blacks:
Jordie Barrett, Will Jordan, Anton Lienert-Brown, David Havili, Rieko Ioane, Beauden Barrett, TJ Perenara; Ardie Savea, Dalton Papalii, Ethan Blackadder, Sam Whitelock (c), Brodie Retallick, Nepo Laulala, Codie Taylor, Joe Moody.
