Rugby: Wallabies expect McCaw to lift ABs

SYDNEY - The Wallabies aren't fooled by New Zealand's ordinary start to the season and are wary of the All Blacks and their returning skipper Richie McCaw.

Australia start their 2009 Tri-Nations campaign on Saturday week at Auckland's Eden Park where they last won 23 years ago.

New Zealand lost a split two-match series to France on points differential and scored an unconvincing win over Italy in their other early-season Test.

The lacklustre displays and the performances of the understrength teams have generated plenty of pessimism in New Zealand about the All Blacks prospects.

But Wallabies captain Stirling Mortlock said he was "not at all" conned by the negative noises coming from the other side of the Tasman.

"Our mindset is that this will be our most significant challenge to date this year," Mortlock told reporters after training on Thursday.

"If you look at our training sessions, the intent and the understanding is pretty clear. We are preparing to go up a gear."

Mortlock said the Wallabies had advanced significantly in the past year since their loss Eden Park and relished the chance to break the Wallabies drought at that venue.

"It's a big opportunity, I can't wait to get out there," Mortlock said.

"I feel as though as a group we've improved and made strides forward and this an significant opportunity for us to show that."

Mortlock was mindful of the parallels to last year when McCaw's return from injury inspired New Zealand to a thumping 39-10 win over an Australian team which had beaten them in Sydney a week earlier.

"I do think that the immediate history of what happened last year is a good lesson for us," said Mortlock, who described McCaw as a great leader.

"We are very wary of a New Zealand team that would have been, so called, slightly understrength, but that doesn't happen.

"Whenever you play a Bledisloe Cup match, it is an absolute test of your character and your will and usually extremely massive Test matches, so that's what we are gearing up for."

Wallabies mentor Robbie Deans, who coached McCaw in Super title-winning campaigns with the Crusaders, expected the dynamic flanker to galvanise the All Blacks.

"He has been sitting there waiting, he doesn't enjoy not playing," Deans said.

"He would have been training the house down. As he showed last year when he came back from the significant break and played (the full) 80, there's not too many that can do that.

"What that reflects is how effective he prepared.

"He will bring an absolute hunger and enthusiasm to the group, because he hates watching, he hates watching average performances and he certainly doesn't like losing to the Wallabies.

"That's the last thing he will want to do and that's what happened last year.

"When a bloke has got that sort of focus and hunger and enthusiasm, it rubs off."

- AAP