McCaw: 'Bad' French 'were going for the eyes' (in World Cup final)

In this screenshot from the World Cup final broadcast, All Black captain Richie McCaw can be seen reacting to a possible eye gouge during the game.

All Blacks captain Richie McCaw has spoken out on an alleged eye-gouge on him during the Rugby World Cup final, saying he was surprised Frenchman Aurelien Rougerie wasn't cited for the incident.

McCaw had previously only said he "poked in the eye or something .... I don't know if it was intentional", but at a breakfast fundraiser in Christchurch yesterday he said the French got "filthy", Fairfax Media reported.

"The French are worse when they are scared ... They were as bad as they have been and were going for the eyes," he told the audience.

"My eye was a bit sore for a while and I was struggling to see for a bit. I was surprised they didn't cite him."

No complaint was laid by the All Blacks after the game, and it took longer than the prescribed 48-hour post-match review period for video footage to be revealed which showed Rougerie clashing heads with McCaw in the 77th minute before dragging his fingers across the All Black's face.

The IRB is to review whether the citing period should be extended to allow for footage to be uncovered which verifies allegations of foul play.

The All Blacks went on to win the final 8-7, with the final whistle bringing "sheer relief", McCaw said, although he said the victory took weeks to sink in.