McCaw: there is a real pride in what we are doing

NEW ZEALAND’S flying winger Sitiveni Sivivatu said he was “surprised” at the All Blacks’ clear physical advantage over Ireland on Saturday.

The quietly-spoken star added that he was happy with his two tries but preferred to deflect attention on to the achievement of the team.

“We’re pretty happy with the performance, the boys all wanted to do well, and we’re happy we did.”

Asked about the New Zealanders’ superior physical strength, Sivivatu said, “Yeah, it was a surprise,” before moving the focus on to the next opponent. That focus hadn’t been blurred by murmurs about a potentially hostile reception in Dublin.

“As a team we’re here for rugby, nothing else. If we get a good welcome, great, but we just concentrate on the job. We’ll be preparing now for next week.”

Asked to compare leading New Zealand in the emphatic win over Ireland with his stint as captain in the 26-25 win over Wales last year, Richie McCaw’s response wasn’t surprising. “Obviously it wasn’t as tight, so I really enjoyed the challenge, but we’ve got a good group of players on the team, guys who’ve been around for a little while, so I can concentrate more on playing. Really I’m just going up for the toss.

The open side was generous about his hosts’ efforts. “It wasn’t easy out there. It was a tough battle and there was a lot of passion from both teams. Our team played pretty well, we put them under pressure and scored points when we needed to. The boys are coming off feeling like they’ve been in a game. We’ll rest up tonight and then focus on England.

“It’s going to be another tough one. It will be a big challenge, Twickenham always is, but we’re looking forward to it.”

A 45-7 victory mightn’t seem to leave much room for improvement, and McCaw acknowledged that the Grand Slam was a live possibility, but the minor hiccup with the New Zealand line-out, for example, obviously rankled.

“We had Ireland on the ropes and rushed things, but this is a group of players who are putting their hands up,” he said. “There is a real pride in what we are doing.”

That pride was visible at Lansdowne Road on Saturday, when Graham Henry’s avowed aim of having two Test-strength sides in his squad looked a reality.

Already there are suggestions that the only players capable of beating the New Zealand Test fifteen are those in the Steinlager tracksuits who are left on the bench. Sivivatu’s final words carry an ominous threat: “First fifteen or second fifteen, we’re all preparing at the same level.”

Right now, is anyone else?