By Greg Stutchbury
AUCKLAND, June 10 (Reuters) – World champions New Zealand
left room for improvement after easing to victory over Ireland
in the first test on Saturday but ominously for the chasing pack
showed no signs of letting their standards slip under new coach
Steve Hansen.
A 42-10 win at Eden Park in their first match since lifting
the Webb Ellis Cup last October was inspired by debutant winger
Julian Savea’s three tries. However, the vastly experienced
flyhalf Dan Carter and captain Richie McCaw remained at the
heart of the All Blacks’ five tries to one performance.
Much had been made by the All Blacks in the buildup to the
match of the need to leave last year’s World Cup triumph in the
past as they focus on staying at the summit of world rugby,
something not easily achieved by previous world champions the
year after lifting the game’s ultimate prize.
So McCaw’s assessment of their first match in an new era
came as no great surprise.
“Happy enough…I think you can’t get too carried away. It
wasn’t perfect by any stretch,” McCaw told reporters.
“To win a test match by 40 points to whatever, 10, you have
got to be happy about it. But come tomorrow we will be looking
ahead to the next one and that’s the challenge of playing test
rugby.
“I’m happy with what we have done but…we have still got a
way to go to get the game we want.”
Since New Zealand lifted the World Cup, Hansen has succeeded
Graham Henry as head coach, and while some of the current sqaud
are unlikely to be at the 2015 World Cup in England, he is
clearly no rush to blood too many youngsters.
Continued…
