New Zealand rookie Aaron Cruden was left with plenty to think about after his exposure to the white-hot atmosphere of Test rugby in Sydney on Saturday.
The intensity and pace of the game was the biggest lesson for Cruden, whose hour on the field in the 23-22 win over Australia almost doubled his Test experience to date.
'I will definitely be better for it but I've just got to get used to the pace of the game,' he said.
Because of his lack of familiarity with the atmosphere and speed of the game he felt he had also not communicated as much as possible with halfback Piri Weepu.
The All Blacks struggled to make an impact in the game and spent much of the first 50 minutes defending against a spirited Australian side which led 22-6 at one stage.
'We didn't get a lot of rhythm going and they had a lot of possession and territory but we were still confident we could come back if we were able to hold onto the ball for long periods and in the end that's what happened,' he said.
Cruden said his nerves had been fine in the week leading to the Test but they took over when the side got to the stadium.
'I think in the first half I was a little bit tense and when I made mistakes I probably let it play on my mind a little bit too much but I think I'll be better for the experience and can grow and move on from here,' he said.
Cruden said his kicks at the re-start were off the mark because he was concerned he was not going to get his kicks over the 10-metre mark and he ended up kicking them too far.
'That's something I will have to really address because we use that as a good platform to start off.'
Cruden was hampered by an ankle injury which he suffered the first time he touched the ball but he said it had not caused him too many problems.
All Blacks backs coach Wayne Smith was happy with Cruden's effort.
'He was pretty composed, he ran well and he had some difficult situations to get himself out of, but he showed a lot of strength actually with ball-in-hand and stayed up a few times. It was a difficult Test match...we weren't really on game but I thought he came through pretty well,' he said.
Smith said his kicking game was clearly a work-on.
'The re-starts weren't contestable, but he's a young man and he's got a big future and you can't get it all right in your first Test,' he said.
