Time flies. It seems like just yesterday I was playing my first game against Ireland, when I came off the bench, full of energy and flying into tackles, even though I couldn't tackle back then.
To me, being an All Black means following our dreams.
I don't read anything. I don't read the press. I've always valued my supporters and my haters are supporters in disguise. That's just the way it is. I run a couple of social media accounts and you can't help but look at comments every now and then.
Every season is hard, every season has its ups and downs.
I was more than happy to not wear shoes. The only time we wore shoes was on Sunday when we went to church.
Japan is an appealing place for a young family and comparatively safe in health terms.
In the back of your mind there's always these contractual things you have to deal with. You try to put that aside when it comes to training and playing.
At 17 I was graduating and didn't know what to do. I was seriously contemplating going to Melbourne to play Aussie football.
We grow up in New Zealand from a young age getting up at 3am to watch the All Blacks play South Africa or England, it's part of who we are. So to be an All Black now is amazing.
I live in Wellington now but I love going back to the farm where all you can hear are the cows or the sea crashing in about a kilometre away. Our uncle's farm is on the beach and we are one up from that towards the mountain.
Whatever role the coaches decide for me and the team, I'm happy with that.
I must say I'm a bit more daunted about changing a nappy than I am making a tackle... unless it's Ngani Laumape or Ben Lam.
When you lose for the All Blacks it's not a nice feeling. Expectations on us are pretty high. We have high standards and we know if we've let ourselves or let the jersey down.
I grew up on a farm playing backyard footie in my bare feet.
I take a laid-back approach to a lot of things in life and, at the end of the day, rugby's just a game.
If you overthink things, you end up doing things without the right reasons in mind.
Mum always encouraged us to run, she was very athletic.
I'm a Kiwi country boy, approachable, genuine, never getting too far ahead of myself, a straightforward kind of bloke.
A lot of the values I have come from the farm and from my parents, of grafting and of giving, and of always striving to be the best you can be. It's about teamwork.
For some reason, the more the pressure comes on, the more enjoyable it gets.
