KEY POINTS:
After romping through their group matches, the New Zealand under-20 team say they have lots to improve on for tomorrow morning's (6am NZT) junior world rugby championship semifinal match against Wales at Cardiff Arms Park.
In three games, New Zealand have racked up 173 points and conceded only
19, including a solitary try, en route to the semifinals.
They beat Tonga 48-9, Ireland 65-10 and Argentina 60-0 to top pool A but co-coach Russel Hilton-Jones has been quick to shoot down any suggestion that they've had an easy passage.
"I guess at this stage we haven't had a real arm wrestle, where it has been a really tight game to see how we react underneath that sort of pressure.
"But physically, we have been tested and there is no doubt of that during the course of this campaign.
"I think we are really confident that we are in a good zone to play well, but really the players need to keep lifting the bar, particularly coming into the semifinal."
Hilton-Jones, who co-coaches the side with Dave Rennie, said they would have to play better than they have to despatch Wales.
"We have got some amazing athletes out wide, but we really need to earn the right to move the ball wide by confronting teams up front and getting good position."
Skipper Chris Smith who led New Zealand to victory in last year's under-19 world championship said the team were aiming to tidy up a lot of aspects to their game that had not been right.
"I think that is a huge thing in tournaments like this, you have got so many games over a short period, if you are the perfect product in game one it is not necessarily going to be the best thing going into the business end of the tournament.
"We have been happy with how we have gone, but having said that we are really happy with where we are at now and moving forward where we are going to be."
Lock Smith, 20, said New Zealand expected to face a Welsh side containing physical forwards who would be lifted by a passionate home crowd.
"Dave and I have picked what we think is the best side to play against Wales and try and win that game," Hilton-Jones said.
"We have got a lot of depth and some really disappointed players that haven't made the starting 15."
England meet South Africa in the other semifinal which will be played after the New Zealand-Wales match.
New Zealand
Trent Renata, Zac Guildford, Kade Poki, Ryan Crotty, Sean Maitland, Daniel Kirkpatrick, Aaron Smith, Nasi Manu, Luke Braid, Matt Luamanu, Sam Whitelock, Chris Smith (captain), Ben Afeaki, Quentin MacDonald, Paea Fa'anunu
Reserves: Ash Dixon, Toby Smith, Josh Townsend, Peter Saili, Grayson Hart, Jackson Willison, Andre Taylor.
- NZPA
