McCaw suffering neck problem

New Zealand captain Richie McCaw is suffering from a nerve problem in his neck which is likely to prevent him from playing any rugby prior to the All Blacks’ next Test against Australia on August 22.

While several of his international team-mates are turning out for their provinces this weekend, with more due back next weekend, McCaw is looking to shake off the problem ahead of the make-or-break showdown with the Wallabies in Sydney.

The All Blacks skipper revealed he suffered the problem in the first Test against South Africa in Bloemfontein but played through it in the second loss to the Springboks in Durban last weekend.

“It’s given me a bit of grief, so this week is about getting that right,” the openside flanker said. “We’re going to have a yarn next week (with regards to playing provincial rugby). It’s important I get it right.

“That’s the reason I’m not playing this weekend and may not play next weekend.”

McCaw remains adamant that there was no confusion about the attacking game-plan they adopted against the Springboks but conceded they had tried to play too much rugby in their own half and that their basic skills had let them down.

“We wanted to play a game where we moved their big fellas around but it didn’t work like that because we were making mistakes and we weren’t getting good enough set-piece ball.

“Early on there were a few opportunities and, had we taken them, it might have changed the game,” he told Radio Sport.

“But if you look at the risk versus reward maybe that wasn’t quite right early in the game. It might have been something you do as the game goes on.

“But in terms of the way we approached the game, I thought we had it reasonably spot on.

“There were definitely opportunities we didn’t take through simple errors. Some of the decisions we made were actually good it was just a case of executing and that just comes down to guys making sure they get it right.”

McCaw also acknowledged there were concerns with the line-out which has malfunctioned in all three Tri-Nations Tests so far.

“Over the last three years we’ve had a pretty good line-out to be honest. But the big thing that’s come about in the last few weeks is a lack of confidence.

“The lifting and jumping hasn’t been quite right. Perhaps some of the calls haven’t been quite right and the throws haven’t been quite right.

“You get tiny little things wrong there against a good defensive team and they’ll show you up.

“When you don’t get any line-out ball it’s hard to get a platform to actually get some field position.”

McCaw has joined coaches Graham Henry and Steve Hansen in cautioning against rushing Daniel Carter back into the squad.

The star fly-half is on the comeback from an Achilles injury and is due to play his second Air New Zealand Cup game for Canterbury on Saturday.

While fans are keen to see the 27-year-old back in the black jersey for the Test in Sydney, which the All Blacks must win if they are to stand a chance of retaining their Tri-Nations crown, McCaw has warned they should not view Carter as the quick fix to the All Blacks’ woes.

“You don’t want to rush a guy who’s just coming back himself and expect him to change where you’re at.

“If he’s ready he’s ready. If he’s not then we’ve got to accept it and get on with it.

“You don’t want to put a guy under unnecessary pressure if he’s not right.

“Stephen Donald has been playing some reasonable rugby. We’re just not giving him decent enough service to operate at the right end of the field. Everyone is to blame, not just one guy.”

The All Blacks squad assembles for a one-day training camp in Auckland next Wednesday and leaves for Sydney the following Sunday.