Sept 14 (Reuters) – Despite lifting the World Cup, enjoying
a 13-match winning run and on target to claim the inaugural
Rugby Championship title, New Zealand captain Richie McCaw found
himself countering criticism over his side’s lack of style.
Three wins from three put the All Blacks on top of the pile
ahead of their test against South Africa in Dunedin on Saturday
but instead of basking in the glory of victories over Australia
and Argentina, McCaw was asked when performances would improve.
A scrappy opening win over Australia in Sydney was followed
by a 22-0 shutout over the same opponents in Auckland, the first
time in 50 years the Wallabies had failed to score a point
against the All Blacks.
But the Auckland win could have been by a much bigger margin
had the All Blacks not squandered a hatful of opportunities and
their attacking threat was stifled for long periods by the Pumas
pack last week.
Five tries in three matches has been a concern for many but
not for the experienced McCaw, who has played over 100 tests for
his country.
“We’re going out there to win, that’s first and foremost,”
the flanker told reporters after the captain’s run on Friday.
“I suppose how we do that is our performance and if it’s
good to watch or not, that’s sort of secondary.
“We realise we’ve got guys with skill and strengths we want
to be able to use. Putting all that aside, we want to improve as
a team every week and we’ve done that in stages but haven’t put
it together yet.
“But you play test matches to win. Some days they’re going
to be tough and messy and if you’re good enough to come out on
the right side, so be it.”
Continued…
