Tasman and Highlander flanker Elliot Dixon has said that the more time he gets to spend as an All Black, the more he feels like he's growing into one.
After playing the full 80 minutes in the All Blacks' dominant 68-10 win over Italy, Dixon said that he's settling into his workload and feeling more at home in the All Blacks forward pack.
"I think I'm just getting a lot more comfortable," he said.
"In the first couple of games, I was just new to it and I think for me personally it takes a while to get comfortable in a team."
Dixon, who scored one try and set up another for fellow back-rower Steven Luatua, said his All Black role was quite a bit different to the one he was used to.
"It's a bit different for the Highlanders, I play a different structure on [defence] and I'm just getting used to that and I'm starting to enjoy it.
"On the blind side, I usually stay on the blind but in this team I'm allowed to go around and try and make hits and that's pretty fun. You get the licence to go around the corner and hopefully slow the ball down or just be a menace in the rucks.
However, the 27-year-old said he was adjusting very quickly to what was expected of him from the All Blacks' coaching staff.
"I suppose it's just about repetition of lineouts, getting ball in hand and having fun and actually playing the game instead of worrying about structure and what my role is."
After a good game in Rome, Dixon will hope to retain his spot in the All Blacks' starting side for the game against Ireland but will have to contend with incumbent Jerome Kaino, who is likely to return to the squad.
Newshub.