The 44-year-old revealed the intensity has been much more than anything he experienced in his native New Zealand.

'I suppose I'll just have to come to terms with the level of interest and media interest in the game,' he said.

'It has surprised me, but it's part of my role in dealing with that.'

He has been able to touch down with many fans and reporters all around Wales, adding: 'I think it's the proximity of everything that intensifies the interest. Yesterday (Thursday) I was in Llanelli and an hour later I was speaking to the people in Newport.
'Everything is very, very close. In New Zealand you've got two long islands and places aren't as easy to get to. You've got to get in a plane if you want to go to other regions.

'So the advantage I've discovered in my first week in Wales is the proximity - getting to places quickly and getting people together quickly.

'I think that's a huge advantage going forward. The other side of that is that you're in a real cocoon or fish bowl. That's something I've got to come to terms with.'