McCaw satisfied with Tuqiri apology

Richie McCaw

PRETORIA - All Blacks rugby captain Richie McCaw has accepted Lote Tuqiri's letter of apology for last Saturday's spear tackle, saying he would prefer that to a long suspension for the Wallabies winger.

A Sanzar judicial panel suspended Tuqiri for five matches spread over 10 weeks, but it means he only misses one test - the Wallabies' final Tri-Nations match against South Africa in Johannesburg on September 9.

But McCaw wouldn't be drawn on the severity - or lack of it - of the ban as he prepared for Sunday's (NZ time) test against the Springboks in Pretoria.

He gladly accepted Tuqiri's letter which was delivered to the All Blacks' Auckland hotel before the team departed for South Africa early on Sunday.

"I don't know how they judge it (suspensions) in terms of time or games, but I was happy with what happened," McCaw said today.

"He did apologise to me and said he didn't intend it, and that's all I'm worried about.

"The other stuff (judiciary) just takes care of itself. It's hard for the players to wade into that side of things."

Tuqiri didn't approach McCaw afterwards to apologise in person about the tackle which could have seriously injured the star flanker, but McCaw said the letter was enough.

"I got a little fright, obviously when you're out of control of what's happening. It did stretch the old neck up a bit but I realised there wasn't too much wrong after that."

He said the aching in his neck had subsided and he was "85 per cent fit" after a bruising test against the Wallabies.

His nose was still swollen but he was uncertain whether it was broken after McCaw was bloodied by a swinging arm from Wallabies flanker Phil Waugh.

"It's been busted before," McCaw said of his nose.

On whether Waugh should have been cited for his hit on McCaw without the ball, the captain again showed diplomacy.

"A lot of things like that happen in games, and to be cited it's got to be a sending-off offence.

"I don't know if the ref saw it he would have sent him off, but if it's intended you could say it's a bit of a cheap shot. I don't know whether he did or not."

McCaw was confident of leading the All Blacks through three tough tests in three weeks despite the toll on his body as he becomes the most marked man in world rugby.

It seems unlikely he will be rested for next weekend's test in nearby Rustenberg with the All Blacks then having a two-month break until their tour of Britain and France.

"We've got a three-week block of tests that will be really physical but then you have a break. You get through that then you get a chance to recover."

- NZPA