Kiwis lock Simon Mannering is confident that heading into the World Cup, the team's controversies are behind them.
The 42-Test veteran has conceded previous behaviour by some of the players has been unacceptable, and vowed they will do everything they can to win back fans' support.
"Obviously, there have been mistakes in the past but we are not going to dwell on that or holding grudges, we are looking at how to do things better," Mannering said.
"If anything is negative towards us, it's generally our own doing. I'm sure some people have felt let down, and people have felt like they have let others down.
"For us, we want to make the country is proud of us as a team first and foremost, and outside of that we want to give back to the community to show they are proud of us."
In light of past indiscretions, a spotlight has been placed on the Kiwis' code of conduct, with a larger than ever emphasis on the players' responsibilities.
Mannering admitted not giving the rules much notice previously, but the team have made it a priority heading to the tournament.
"To be honest I've never really read [the code of conduct] previously, but for sure I'll be reading it this year," he said.
"As a team and as a group you want to portray ourselves and the country in the best possible wa, so I guess if we are breaking things under the code of conduct then that is not what we are about or what we want to portray."
Despite the off-field issues, Mannering insists things are changing, and hopes for better results on the field as a result.
"We want the country to be proud of us because of the way we performed on the field.
"But before that a whole lot of things come away from the field, from the preparation from being professional, from training, and of course how we picture ourselves in the public.
"So if we get all the stuff right on the field we can get the things right off the field, then we can invest more time into our game and our country so we can really grow the sport."
Newshub.
