RWC 2015: New Zealand soundproof hotel windows after noisy Wales fans cause sleepless night
The All Blacks want all the rest they can get before facing Georgia on Friday
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Your support makes all the difference.New Zealand have asked for the windows at their hotel in Cardiff's city centre to be soundproofed after they were kept awake by raucous Welsh supporters last Saturday.
Following Wales' thrilling 28-25 defeat of England last weekend, the streets of the principality's capital were packed with boisterous and triumphant fans who partied long into the night, disturbing the All Blacks' much-needed beauty sleep.
New Zealand are currently preparing for their next Pool C encounter with Georgia, due to be played at the Millennium Stadium on Friday night, and are said to be unhappy with their performance levels in their earlier wins against Argentina and Namibia.
Captain Richie McCaw and coach Steve Hansen are keen to ensure that the team does not fall below their extrememly high standards again and, according to the Guardian, have consequently asked for soundproofed windows to guarantee that they will not be disturbed.
Ahead of Friday's clash, McCaw reiterated the importance of continuous improvement throughout a tournament and revealed he has noticed a an 'edge' in training this week.
“We need to take a step up performance-wise,” he said. “There has been an edge in training this week as we look to put right things that were a little bit off in the opening two matches. Do that and it should make for a good performance.
"When you have not played for a while, there is always the danger of rustiness and while you don’t like to use excuses, it was what let us down against Namibia last week. Playing a side like Georgia is something different for us. We understand who we are up against but the main focus is getting our game spot on."
Clearly, the prospect of defeat is not being considered in the All Blacks' camp before their first-ever meeting with Georgia on the international stage. Even so, if they are to reach top gear sooner rather than later in this tournament, they're going to need a decent bit of shut-eye.
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