McCaw leads the way for All-Blacks

SUPERLATIVES flowed yesterday for captain Richie McCaw after his inspirational leadership in New Zealand’s retention of the Bledisloe Cup against Australia at Lang Park.

The All Blacks hang on to trans-Tasman rugby supremacy for a fourth year after a backs-to-the-wall 13-9 win over the Wallabies on Saturday, following their 32-12 victory in Christchurch on July 8.

The Kiwis led 10-6 at half-time and held on for a gripping victory with flyhalf Dan Carter's 58th-minute drop goal their only score of a fiercely-contested second half, before a ground record crowd of 52,498.

The Wallabies dominated for long stretches of the second half, pinning the All Blacks deep inside their territory but could not breach the tenacious black defensive wall for the match-breaking try.

The Wallabies failed to score a try in a test for the first time since their 18-9 loss to Ireland in Dublin almost four years ago.

No one was more influential in the outcome than New Zealand’s champion open-side flanker McCaw, whose 19 tackles dwarfed the defensive contributions of players on both sides.

The highlight of the 25-year-old Canterbury Crusaders flanker’s performance was his try-saving tackle on flying Wallaby winger Mark Gerrard in the 54th minute, in a titanic duel where winger Joe Rokocoko scored the only try in the 10th minute.

“He can’t play better than that, I thought Richie was outstanding. The outstanding individual player of the game, superb,” All Blacks’ coach Graham Henry said.

“In defence he saved a try in the far right-hand corner and I just thought the defensive effort was superb.”

Assistant coach and former Wales national coach Steve Hansen believed McCaw clearly won the battle of rugby’s two outstanding number sevens against Wallaby George Smith.

“He was inspirational. To get back and make the tackle on Gerrard in the corner and then pinch the ball off him was phenomenal,” Hansen said.

“In George Smith, who I really rate, you have two of the greatest open-side flankers that have ever played the game, and for Richie to come out on top like he did then it had to be a huge performance.”

With just over 13 months out to the World Cup in France, McCaw is developing into an outstanding leader as world rugby’s top-ranked team have won their last 13 internationals, stretching back to their last loss, against South Africa, 16-22 in Cape Town on August 6 last year.

The victory stretched New Zealand’s lead in the Tri-Nations series to 13 points, seven points clear of the Wallabies, who gained a scoring bonus point with South Africa winless in their two games.

New Zealand have three weeks off before they take on Australia for a third time this season in Auckland on August 19.