Cup favouritism no burden to young All Blacks

All Black flanker Richie McCaw takes on the defence during the second test in Wellington on Saturday night. Picture / Brett Phibbs

Being tagged favourites for the next World Cup does not disturb the All Black panel, nor does assistant coach Steve Hansen believe the label will burden the young side.

After the stunning victory in Wellington which routed the Lions and secured the series, global rugby attention will focus on how best to counter the new All Black style and whether it will hold up for the next two years.

Warnings about the All Blacks' potency were immense. The first signs came in Paris late last year when they humbled France and they have continued that venomous approach against the Lions.

Coach Graham Henry said success in this series was the All Blacks' target en route to what they hoped would be a second global title for New Zealand at the 2007 tournament in France.

The scale and style of the All Blacks' series triumph was moreish.

For the 35,000 spectators who were kneaded into the Cake Tin, live viewing of the All Blacks was magnetic while a global television audience and rugby rivals round the world will have exhaled noisily at the quality.

It was a wondrous performance, decorated by the individual glitter from first five-eighths Daniel Carter as he gathered 33 points from two tries, five penalties and four conversions. Quite how he failed with one kick, a sideline conversion, was a mystery on a night when he added another chapter to those written about great New Zealand pivots.

After the dramas settling on a consistent test replacement for Andrew Mehrtens, the selectors decided Carter was their man of the future.

On the tour to Europe last year they took him as their solitary specialist first five-eighths. That decision told Carter of their long-term strategies and he responded strongly. On Saturday he brought all his dazzling skills to one evening while his opposite Jonny Wilkinson battled with his game and his bung shoulder. That comparison was a snapshot of the test.

If the All Blacks complete a third win at Eden Park this weekend, they will firm a little more as frontrunners for the sixth World Cup.

"I think it is good if we are favourites because it means we are being successful," Hansen said yesterday. "It is what we are all about.

"I don't think we should be frightened of the word favourite. Two years is a long way away and a lot of things can happen and we just have to keep working at what we are about and make sure that we keep growing. I'd rather be called a favourite than an underdog."

The stencil for the All Blacks' approach was laid down late last year in the month the squad had in Europe. Training drills were devised to encourage the evasion, support play, communication and layoff passes.

That powerful mix shone through in Wellington, where the Lions ran out of defensive answers to the All Blacks' sustained speed, power and vision. Their search for gaps and desire to keep the ball alive drained the resources of the Lions. From the moment new skipper Gareth Thomas scored, the Lions gave the match a real crack but they were outmuscled, outclassed and outmanoeuvred.

With or without the ball, the All Blacks attacked with hits like those from Jerry Collins, Rodney So'oialo and Richie McCaw, the thunder in the backs from aggrieved skipper Tana Umaga.

The Lions played without any great subtlety. They tried to smack through barriers rather than find a way round them. Lions hooker Steve Thompson was Mr Niggly, testing officials' patience in an international the All Blacks felt was their most physical examination for some time.

The toll is already showing, damage which gives even more weight to All Black warnings about the need for squad depth. Building those reserves and giving players appropriate rest are all part of the strategies for the next World Cup quest. Improvement and player welfare, Hansen noted, were two major planks in their campaigns. The Lions had tried different ideas and sides at Christchurch and Wellington.

"But I think there is a clear message in that the game has moved on from when they won the World Cup," he said.

All Black tests 2005

* v Lions, Saturday, Auckland
* v South Africa, Aug 6, Cape Town
* v Australia, Aug 13, Sydney
* v South Africa, Aug 27, Dunedin
* v Australia, Sep 3, Auckland
* v Wales, Nov 5, Cardiff
* v Ireland, Nov 12, Dublin
* v England, Nov 19, London
* v Scotland, Nov 26, Edinburgh