First of all I would like to say what a great boost it has been for me to be selected for the New Zealand side to face Australia in the Anzac Day Test next week.

To be picked to represent New Zealand is always a great honour. We have a great side now and we are building on some great performances over the past three years so we can't wait to get it on.

But it's something neither myself or Robbie take for granted. A lot of people have been describing us as automatic selections but if you start thinking like that then one day you'll find you're out of the squad.

Your performances are rated year by year and game by game so we keep training hard and if you do that you usually get your rewards.

I have had so many great memories of playing for my country so far that it's hard to pin down my favourite game. I enjoyed winning the Super League Nines in Fiji because we beat a really good Aussie team in the semi-finals and coming close in the Tri-Nations was a big boost for us.

But beating Australia in Auckland in 1998 was probably the greatest triumph because the squad was dismayed at the time and I only flew out there on the Wednesday to play on the Friday. So because of the rushed preparations and the mood in the camp before the game that was a great backs-to-the-wall victory and probably my favourite match in the black and white.

It's easy to forget but it was only a few years ago that New Zealand were lagging behind Great Britain and Australia but now things have changed because a lot of good youngsters have come through.

A lot of the last New Zealand side were ageing so a lot of the old faces have been replaced by youngsters who probably have a lot more to offer because they are playing in tougher competitions both in Australia and over here.

That means we have a side capable of beating the Australians next week and the game itself will be a great spectacle.

I have never won in Sydney and I don't think New Zealand have won there for quite a while so it would be a huge boost for us.

Our international call-ups will unfortunately mean that we miss the match against London Broncos but that opens the door for the likes of Paul Deacon to prove themselves in the first team.

Paul was shadowing us all last season and played awesome all last year. With Robbie out with his foot injury he managed to cement his own place in the starting line-up.

He hurt his leg at the start of the season and that opened the door for Robbie and myself to go on and play well. But things can change and we are always looking over our shoulders.

There's a lot of talent in our squad so we have to make sure that we are on top of our game and that's why we are working harder than ever. Deacs will get his chance and will take it with both hands but if he can win his place at the expense of one of us then it's all good for the team.

Hopefully I can make Matthew Elliott's mind up by playing well in the matches and training hard so that he can't not pick me.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.