Blacks back explosive Masoe to fill McCaw’s boots

ALL BLACKS skipper Tana Umaga has warned England his side will take the loss of influential flanker Richie McCaw in their stride at Twickenham.

New Zealand revealed the best-kept secret of a cloak and dagger week - in which coach Graham Henry accused England of hiding camouflaged cameramen in the bushes to film their training - when they announced that McCaw had withdrawn himself from the side.

They have called up Chris Masoe to replace McCaw, who feels he has not completely recovered from a blow to the head sustained in last week’s 45-7 victory over Ireland in Dublin.

Henry insisted it was simply a precautionary measure and that McCaw, who has suffered problems with head injuries in the past, had come through medical checks and been passed fit to play.

“I think it’s a mature decision by Richie. He’s put the team first,” said Henry.

Umaga does not believe Masoe will have any problems fitting into an all-Wellington back row alongside Jerry Collins and Rodney So’oialo.

“They’ve played together for so long, they know each other and they’re great friends off the field as well so that helps the communication on the field,” he added.

Henry also insisted that the change will not upset the structure of his side. “It’s a great opportunity for Chris,” he added.

“He made an impressive debut against Wales and we’re confident he’ll do well again tomorrow.

“He’s got a very physical presence, he’s a very explosive player and he’s an explosive tackler, probably the best in the world, I’d say.”

But Umaga, is certainly not underestimating the challenge England will pose. “It’s caused a bit of a buzz among the squad but we also realise that tomorrow we’ve got to be buzzed about that and I’m sure we will be,” he said.

Henry also brushed off England counterpart Andy Robinson’s stated intention of raising his concerns over the way the All Blacks play with Irish referee Alan Lewis.

Robinson’s areas of concern are the scrum, which he claims the All Blacks like to “walk round”, the tackle area, where he alleges New Zealand drag players out of the way off the ball, and the use of “blockers” to create holes in opposing defences for the runners behind them.

But Henry responded: “I’ve no reaction at all. I’m passive on that sort of stuff. I don’t think it affects anybody, it just fills up newspapers.

Robinson has rallied the world champions by telling them: “There are no backward steps allowed.”

Robinson knows England must at least match the All Blacks’ renowned physical presence as they target a famous victory.

“We’ve got belief in our own game. We are playing against the world’s best team, and it is a massive, massive challenge. Above all, we need to be error-free.

“In terms of how to deal with the Kiwis, there are no backward steps allowed,” he added.

“New Zealand are superb at scoring off turnovers, they strike at you very quickly, and from numbers 1 to 15 they can off-load really well in the tackle because of outstanding pace and support runners.

“New Zealand are very streetwise. It will be very physical.”

England will require a huge effort from their front-five to try and stop New Zealand at source, but that still might not be enough.