AUCKLAND, New Zealand -- All Blacks captain Kieran Read will join an exclusive club on Saturday night when he plays his 100th Test in the series decider with the British & Irish Lions.
The veteran No.8 did his best to play down the significance of the achievement at Friday's captain's run but did agree that few milestone matches had carried the carrot that his does this weekend.
"It's a pretty cool place to be, I never expected to be in this position," Read said. "The biggest thing for me is to go out there and do my bit and help the team, and get the win."
Read will join the likes of Richie McCaw, Dan Carter and Keven Mealamu among others, after first debuting against Scotland in Edinburgh way back in 2008. Having served a long apprenticeship under McCaw, Read has continued his former teammate's legacy since 2015.
But he has the chance to achieve something even McCaw failed to do by captaining a winning All Blacks side against the Lions. Tana Umaga was the All Blacks captain in 2005 when the Lions last visited and were easily swept aside 3-0. Read was still a few years away from his Test debut at that stage, but he can write his own little piece of history come Saturday night.
"The All Black captaincy is something that's pretty special to me, I certainly respect it and want to honour it as best I can," Read said. "And the best way to do that is to be myself, and I find that's the best way for the team as well.
"The boys have been great this week and, as I said, I can't wait to get into it. You grow up looking for these moments in your career and I can't wait."
While the All Blacks haven't been beaten at Eden Park since 1994, they have always enjoyed an overwhelming majority of support at the famed Auckland venue. But they will be hit with a sea of red yet again on Saturday night, perhaps in greater numbers than the previous two weeks, with Lions fans keenly snapping up any remaining tickets this week.
"It's different, it certainly is different; I think it does lend to an awesome atmosphere," Read said of the travelling Lions army. "I'd love the All Black fans to be as loud and as patriotic in their singing and things like that. But if they can come tomorrow night and bring that, that would be awesome, it would make for an awesome atmosphere.
"But I think, it's a once in a 12-year opportunity for us as players, when you get on the field you just go and play. But that stuff in the background; it's nice to have and we want to have that support and we certainly feel it."
Read isn't the only All Blacks player notching a milestone on Saturday night with Aaron Cruden and Charlie Faumuina both in line to play their 50th Tests should they be introduced from the bench. It will likely be the final Test outing for both men, too, as they head off to Europe after the Super Rugby season winds up.