McCaw: 'Boks are the real Test'
Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:01
Watchful: All Black captain Richie McCaw
New Zealand captain Richie McCaw feels that Saturday's clash against the Springboks at Newlands will be the ultimate yardstick of how far this new All Black team have progressed since the World Cup.
The All Blacks have been going about their preparations for the Tri-Nations encounter against the Boks on Saturday at Newlands, a match that will have a large bearing on the outcome of the tournament.
The Kiwis face the Boks for the last time this season, and will be keen to set the record straight after they were famously beaten 28-30 in Dunedin last month, when Peter de Villiers' side clinched a first-ever Test win at the infamous 'House of Pain' at Carisbrook.
The All Blacks struggled in their following match, and were on the receiving end of a 34-19 drubbing by Australia in Sydney.
But the talismanic McCaw showed his full worth when the made his comeback from injury a week later in Auckland to inspire his All Black team to a mighty performance and a 39-10 rout of the Wallabies.
The flank missed New Zealand's first three Tri-Nations matches through injury, and admitted that it was very frustrating for him to be unable to influence matters on the field.
"It's nice to get the chance to play here [at Newlands]," McCaw said. "It's always tough watching the first couple of games [from the sidelines], but it [All Blacks Tri-Nations results] could have been worse too.
"I think for this All Black team, having had two wins and two losses, this is a game that we really have to put a performance together.
"We're going to be up against a pretty good team, but if we put a good performance together, we'll give ourselves a chance.
"We'll back ourselves as a team on the whole, but we have to back-up our performance that we had two weeks ago. That's going to be a real indicator of where this team is at."
The All Blacks have lost a number of players since their disastrous World Cup campaign in France last year. Seasoned players such as Aaron Mauger, Anton Oliver, Carl Hayman, Chris Jack and Jerry Collins have either retired or moved onto lucrative European playing contracts.
That has left the All Black team with a fair number of relative rookies in the squad, but it's not something that worries the skipper too much.
"There are some young fellas, but there's still quite a few guys who've played over 50 caps here," McCaw explained.
"It's up to all of us to make sure that the guys who haven't been here before, are relaxed and understand what they're in for, and that we'll help them out.
"I think the best way to lead is to get out there and get your performance right, and that's what the senior players have got to do."
The battle between McCaw and Schalk Burger at the breakdown will very likely be one of the key battles in Saturday's match.
It is clear that McCaw is more than just a player for the All Blacks - he is an inspiring leader who adds aggression and intent to the team effort. Similarly, the Springboks enjoy a more lethal edge when their star flank Burger is on top of his game.
McCaw endorsed that idea, and said that Burger's general play typically serves to fire up his fellow Springboks. At the same time the skipper also said that his success, and that of any openside flank, usually depends on the success of their tight forwards.
"He [Burger] brings a hell of a lot of energy to the forward pack," McCaw elaborated.
"The way he gets around the field and the way he climbs into the breakdowns, he really makes himself known out there.
"I think that's what the Bok team feeds off quite a bit.
"If your front five are being effective, it makes your job as a loose forward so much easier, and if they're not, it makes it a tough day at the office. I guess I'm always hoping that's going to happen, for the tight five to get over the advantage line.
"I'm sure from his [Burger's] view, it's exactly the same."
McCaw was not surprised by the fact that Luke Watson was retained on the bench at the expense of last week's hero against Argentina, Joe van Niekerk.
The Crusaders captain said that he was sure that Bok coach Peter de Villiers had a plan with the inclusion of Watson.
"I've played a little bit of Super 14 against him [Watson], but there's always an unlucky guy out there after team selection.
"If you look at the caliber of loose forwards that South Africa have, there's always going to be someone who's unlucky not to be playing. But they don't lose much by who they're playing.
"Luke Watson is a pretty good footballer, so they'll have their reasons for playing him."
McCaw also revealed how much he enjoyed playing at Newlands, where he led the Crusaders to a 22-0 whitewash of the Stormers on his previous visit in February.
"Newlands is a unique place to play, because there aren't many stadiums with so many spectators sat so close to the ground," he enthused.
"We're perhaps not used to that at home, but it creates a helluva atmosphere, and it's fun to play in as well.
"Playing away from home creates a few extra challenges, but the field's still just a 100 metres long and 75 metres wide."
By Phil Coetzer
