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Sydney - All Blacks captain Kieran Read said his side would not underestimate the Wallabies when the sides meet in their Bledisloe Cup clash in Sydney on Saturday.
Read promised that the Wallabies would have the full respect of the All Blacks, something the Australians felt was lacking last year.
"They've got something that we know if they put it together they're a dangerous side," he told the All Blacks' official website.
"Our respect to them is we turn up and play as well as we can because we know what they can bring. So I think that shows on the field.
"Our biggest respect to opposition is that we go out there and bring the best game that we can. That shows that we respect them and we're going to go out there and do that again next week."
With all that was going on in Australian rugby at the moment, the fact was that the Wallabies coach (Michael Cheika) was dominant in his mindset and wanted his side to go out to win games by beating up other teams and after a month preparing his players he would have been working on aspects he believed could challenge the All Blacks.
Read was under no illusions of the Australian threat. He had played a number of Australian sides who had come out and played a game that in no way reflected how their sides had played in Super Rugby.
"This year will be no different, they've got quality players and a pretty strong mindset to try and win that Bledisloe," he said.
"That's what makes it pretty strong from our point of view and that's what we need to go out there and win."
Read said that after all the post-Super Rugby celebrations were completed for the Crusaders members of the side getting back into the All Blacks environment had a rejuvenating quality.
"We had a good hit-out on Friday, it was probably just what we needed as a group and it really sets us up for this week," he added.
He doesn’t think the toll of the British and Irish Lions series and then the play-offs with franchises had diminished the form and fitness of the players.
Playing the game was what players enjoyed most and while there had been something of a week off last week, they were now building up for the Sydney challenge.
"For us it doesn't get any bigger than that," he said.
"The Bledisloe Cup, for us, is one of those trophies that we really cherish outside the World Cup and in Sydney it is always tough. It's never really been easy so we are looking forward to a big challenge," he said.
The Lions series had been well reviewed and lessons had been put to use by the All Blacks during their camp last week.
"We have to do that, it's part of our learning and there was massive learning for us as a group from what we took out of that series around how we need to play this game, how we need to react to pressure," said Read.
"Hopefully we'll show in this Championship, especially in these Bledisloe Cup games, what we've learnt."
