Mils Muliaina said he had plenty to prove.
And Richie McCaw said it was all about trying to gain some payback after going down 3-0 to the Springboks last year.
Whether it was nerves, energy or simply trying to earn some respect, the All Blacks put in one of their best efforts in years in destroying the Springboks 32-12 at Eden Park on Saturday night.
This was a top effort by the home team, and an impressive benchmark has been set for the rest of the season.
Only the harshest of critics would pick holes in the All Blacks' performance.
They had intensity, accuracy, energy, fire, and the physical and mental talent to dispose of a Springbok side which looked well off the pace.
The Springboks may have scored first, Morne Steyn knocking over a penalty after six minutes, but that was the last time they were in the contest, as the All Blacks took over.
The home team ran hard, found plenty of space and scored a fourth try in the last play of the game to pick up a bonus point and get the Tri-Nations campaign off to a great start.
Smith scored the first try after 18 minutes, taking advantage of a great break up the middle from fullback Muliaina.
Smith said the backs had plenty of room to run, but that came back to what happened in the engine room.
"It worked out pretty well but you go back to what you see up front and that is where it all starts.
They [forwards] did the job and that what made our job easier," Smith said.
"We prepared for them really well, and credit there must go to the coaches. I don't think we let them play a lot. They could not operate a lot from the set-piece, which is totally different from what we found last year."
The Springboks' lineout was supposed to be feared but it never fired a shot.
The All Blacks pilfered two steals and nullified any rolling maul.
They then put on their own 20m rolling maul late in the game, going straight through the Springbok forward pack.
The visiting scrum was also wonky, and the All Blacks made sure the Springboks had little quality ball.
Smith said he was probably the most nervous he had been since his debut, but confidence quickly spread through the team.
Hooker Keven Mealamu said it was a good team performance, in front of a great crowd.
"I think we got off to a really good start, and you can sense some stuff at the start. We got off the line on defence and we carried the ball well, and that is always a sign against a good team like the Springboks," Mealamu said.
He said it was a tough, bruising encounter, with plenty of blood spilled, but all the preparation and hard work over the past few days had paid off.
Looking dangerous back in the black jersey, second five-eighth Ma'a Nonu scored the All Blacks' second try after he broke the line from a chip kick, with five minutes left in the first half.
The ball was held up near the line, but Nonu got it 2m out and there was only going to be one result.
The Springboks scored two penalty goals early in the second half, but when Kieran Read, who continues to excel at the back of the scrum, ran on to a short ball midway through the second spell to score, it became an exercise in damage control for the visiting team.
Prop Tony Woodcock scored the final try, driving over the line from a quick tap penalty.
It would be hard to pick any All Black above another but lock Tom Donnelly was all over the field, while Read and Muliaina had games to remember.
None of the Springboks emerged from the game with any credit, and they need to go back to the drawing board.
