For Hurricanes hooker Dane Coles, this week's All Blacks wider training group camp is hopefully the first of many experiences among the nation's finest players and coaches.
Coles (25) is the only new face in Steve Hansen's 28-man squad, gathered in Wellington as the All Blacks begin their preperations for the Rugby Championship, and the newcomer is enjoying every minute of it.
"It's been pretty special, to be honest," he said yesterday. "Just to get into this environment, and see how the boys work things and do things, I'm just very happy to be here for a couple of days."
Having got this first taste of the big-time, Coles is determined to put himself in the frame for selection for the All Blacks' end-of-year European tour and hopes to become a regular member of the New Zealand team for many years to come.
"I'll definitely be trying to target the end-of-year tour," Coles said. "I've just got to have a good ITM Cup and hopefully things go my way.
"I'd love to be here fulltime - that's my dream."
Coles said he hadn't received any specific or detailed instructions from Hansen just yet, rather he was told to focus on settling into the camp and aquainting himself with the other players.
"I haven't had too much feedback, but just to come in, soak it all up, get to know the boys and just have a bit of fun."
Coles acknowledged he needed to produce his best every week for Wellington in the ITM Cup, as consistency would be a key factor for the All Blacks coaches to consider when weighing up which hookers they'll take away for their four Tests against Scotland, Italy, Wales and England.
"I've got another hooker [Motu Matu'u] behind me, who's pretty good as well, so there's no guarantee that I'll even be starting. I want to go out and have a big one and just do my core roles right, and hopefully I'll give myself a chance at the end of the year."
When asked what facets of his play he thought attracted the attention of national selectors, Coles cited his running game as a strength of his play this year.
"I like to get my hands on the ball, but that's up to the coaches to decide. I'm just happy I got consistent gametime.
"The way they do things here, they like the hookers to get the ball and I like getting my hands on the ball, so I'll just keep doing that."
But Coles is well aware that he'll need to perform his primary hooking duties well if he's to win All Black selection. Accuracy at lineout time is one area that the national team has had issures with over the years, and Coles is prepared to knuckle down and work on that part of his game.
"I've just got to be consistent and work hard during the week, so come game time, I'm confident in my core roles and I just have to keep working hard at it," he said. "I can't let it get me down too much, because it's the hooker's job.
"If you can't throw, you can't be an All Black, so I've just got to keep working hard."
