Tuqiri 'psyched up' for 3N decider
Lote Tuqiri: Psyched up for 'the biggest game of the year'
After a performance in Johannesburg that all of Australia would rather forget, Wallabies wing Lote Tuqiri says the Gold and Green side have full faith in their ability to overcome the All Blacks in the Tri-Nations decider in Brisbane on Saturday.
Inconsistent performances this year have raised concerns in Australia about the Wallabies capacity to cope under pressure but Tuqiri says that he can't think of a better way to earn back some respect than by going out and beating the All Blacks.
The Waratahs speedster has promised a free-flowing game despite the pressure of the Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup being on the line.
Victory for the Wallabies will secure them the Tri-Nations and before the final game of the four-match Bledisloe Cup in Hong Kong on November 1.
"I questioned whether I was worthy of wearing the Australian jersey," Tuqiri said of the below-par performance at Ellis Park in a column in the Sunday Telegraph.
"On the positive side, we have a shot at redemption against the All Blacks next Saturday at Suncorp Stadium. This is shaping up as the biggest game of the year for us and we need to prove we're capable of bouncing back as a group after a heavy loss.
"We've got a great record in Brisbane and we're playing for the Tri-Nations title and to stay alive in the Bledisloe Cup, so motivation is certainly not going to be a problem.
"It's times like these that you're glad there's another game to get excited about, so you can stay optimistic about righting the ship and burying a bad result.
"The Kiwis are bound to come out pumped up and I'm tipping it's going to be one of the best games of the year in terms of entertainment. The All Blacks are not shy about giving the ball some air and neither are we, so everything points towards a high-quality spectacle.
"For the Wallabies, we need to keep believing in what we're doing despite one poor performance in South Africa. We need to put more consistency and fluency into our performances before we truly announce ourselves as being back among the big boys of world rugby."
"We're not too far off, and personally I'm very psyched up about the challenges that lie ahead."