All Black assistant coach Wayne Smith was forthright this week regarding his role as a mentor, as well as external pressures which included Peter de Villiers verbal "strategies".

With Saturday's epic Tri-Nations clash between the All Blacks and the Springboks looming, Smith addressed a number of fundamental questions amidst the hype of the Newlands showdown — amongst them being whether or not the Springboks hold the All Blacks in the usual high regard, having beaten them in New Zealand.

"I'd be surprised if they (the Boks) are ever in fear of the All Blacks," Smith told a media gathering in Cape Town.

"It's only in the last 20 years or so that the balance has tipped slightly in the All Blacks favour.

"There has been a change in the coaching style, and the up-front nature that he (Peter de Villiers) has. Whether that's one of his strategies to try and create an attitude that we're not as good as what people think, I'm not too sure.

"They're always big contests (between the springboks and the All Blacks) though, there are never any easy ones," he added.

Regarding external pressures from the public, to say the least, Smith explained how he views his role as a coach and mentor, in working to maintain the All Blacks' winning culture.

"The pressure has always existed. Personally that external stuff doesn't make any difference to me," he said.

"I've been in this job a long time. I don't care what the board thinks or what union thinks. For me it's about doing my best for the players. They're a hell of a good group — I hope they become a great group. That's our job.

"I'm not like your fellow (De Villiers) who wants to talk about the other team all the time. I only really have a sense for our team and what we're trying to do — which is get a new All Black team up to the level we want be at," he added.

Considering Saturday's Test at Newlands is a must-win for the All Blacks if they are to stand any chance of emerging as Tri-Nations victors, again Smith down-played any unnecessary projection, saying the job at hand was paramount.

"People try put expectations on us but we're already hard on ourselves. We've got our own expectations... which is harder to face.

"We try to give them (the players) a great experience (if anything). There's nothing better than seeing those guys come off the paddock with smiles on their faces because they've performed bloody well — that's what we're in it for I think," said Smith.

Amongst those pressures, is for the Kiwis to replicate the kind of performance they produced in Auckland against the Wallabies a fortnight ago, though Smith admitted that there is only so much a coach can do.

"As a coach, you can't carry everyone's monkey on your back."

"You've got to do the best you can, prepare the best you can — but the guys have to do their job.

"I think we've had a good week, we've done a lot of homework and we've worked hard.

"The players are now preparing themselves to get to the level they need to be at — they have the responsibility to get there," Smith added.

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