All Blacks: Aussie winner inspires McCaw

Sonny Bill Williams looks on during a team talk at an All Black training session in Hong Kong yesterday. Photo / Getty Images

When John Eales knocked over that Bledisloe Cup-winning penalty a decade ago in Wellington, he couldn't have known his towering deed would inspire a future All Black captain to fight complacency in a record-breaking streak over the Wallabies.

Richie McCaw yesterday alluded to the 2000 Bledisloe Cup boilover to emphasise why the All Blacks could not afford to be complacent in Saturday's "neutral" transtasman test at Hong Kong Stadium.

He also said his side took strength from its clinical comeback at Sydney last month, which continued the sequence of 10 successive victories over the Wallabies.

"I can remember what it's like to lose to the Wallabies and perhaps the experience we had in the last test is what the Wallabies did to us in 2000 and 2001 with last-minute wins," he said. "I certainly know it can go the other way real quick."

McCaw was a second-year student at Lincoln University when Eales enabled the Wallabies to retain the Bledisloe Cup in Wellington in 2000.

A year later it was Toutai Kefu who crashed over between the uprights in Sydney to deny the All Blacks; 12 months later McCaw was among the despondent All Blacks watching Matt Burke's penalty put the Wallabies 16-14 in front at the death, again in Sydney.

"Memories like that make you realise how easily it can change," he said yesterday, playing down the significance of the All Blacks current dominance.

McCaw has been influential in each of those 10 triumphs but was able to relax in only one, the 33-6 drubbing at Wellington in September last year.

"In Wellington, with 20 minutes to go, it felt like we were in control of the game," he said.

McCaw, who has captained New Zealand in a record 52 tests, believed the significant point of difference between the transtasman rivals was the All Blacks' ability to mirror the self-belief for which Eales' teams were renowned.

"When you get tight in a game it's believing you can get there when you're down on points," he said. "I've been in teams where you feel helpless and you're not going to get there. It comes down to belief in the guys that lead it, the older players."

A McCaw touchdown brought relief for the All Blacks on their way to a tense 23-22 victory in Sydney.

Although the relief was palpable at the end of an unbeaten Tri-Nations campaign, the All Blacks were tardy for the opening hour, which is incentive enough for them to lift their standards on Saturday.

"In the last game we didn't perform as well as we wanted to and we realise the Wallabies are desperate. They've had a few weeks to think about what they're going to do in this game."

The team trained without incident inside the Happy Valley Race Course yesterday as Daniel Carter made more strides towards his comeback from an ankle injury, a relief to friend and foe.

Wallabies pivot Quade Cooper is also looking forward to confronting Carter for the first time in a test match.

Cooper missed the Melbourne and Christchurch Bledisloe tests through suspension while injury meant Carter didn't play in the latest test in Sydney.

"He is the benchmark for flyhalves around the world and I'd love to play against him," Cooper said. "This is something I've looked forward to for a number of years now and hopefully I will get the chance this week.

"Dan has been the best first five-eighths in the world for a number of years now, it would be a great challenge."

Cooper at least has fond memories of the last time the duo marked each other at Super 14 level in February.

The Tokoroa-born playmaker enhanced his reputation by masterminding the Reds' 41-20 upset win over the Crusaders at Brisbane, a compelling individual performance capped by a late intercept try.

Coach Robbie Deans is certain to make at least one change to the side pipped in Sydney as prop Ben Alexander returns from an injury break at the expense of Salesi Ma'afu.

- NZPA