A tough game for Richie McCaw. Photo / Getty Images
A tough game for Richie McCaw. Photo / Getty Images
All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw has called his trip on Argentine opposite Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe which earned him a yellow card a "dumb mistake".
McCaw stuck out a leg when lying in a ruck as Lobbe tapped a quick penalty after 30 minutes, an act which led to Lobbe passing the ball forward. Referee Wayne Barnes had little option but to send McCaw to the bin - to the delight of the large contingent of Argentina supporters among the record crowd of nearly 90,000.
McCaw talks to referee Wayne Barnes during the All Blacks' opener. Photo / Brett Phibbs
Making matters worse for the defending champions, who eventually pulled away for a hard-fought 26-16 victory, was the fact that midfielder Conrad Smith joined McCaw in the bin in the 37th minute.
Asked about the crowd's response - a loud chorus of booing and jeering - which continued after the match and drowned out his post-game interview, McCaw said: "I was sitting in the sinbin at the time so I didn't have much of a comeback after that... [it was] a dumb mistake I made."
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He added: "I knew straight away that it was a reflex thing and it wasn't the right thing to do. It put the team under pressure which you can't afford to do.
"It was one of those things that as soon as it happens you wish it hadn't [done it]."
Smith's yellow card - for interfering at a ruck in front of his posts - was less clear cut, but coach Steve Hansen said afterwards that both cards were fully justified, adding that they contributed to a difficult afternoon against a well organised and fired-up Pumas defence.
"It took a long time to get on top and the fact that we gave away two yellow cards which were both warranted meant we played 20 minutes with only 14 players," he said. "That's makes it a bit tougher. In saying that I'm happy with our guys. We showed a lot of fortitude. We haven't played for five weeks so the game will do us the world of good."
McCaw looks on from the sin bin. Photo / Getty Images
Asked about the booing of McCaw by the crowd, Hansen said: "It's normal over here. It's been happening for years, so we just take it with a grain of salt and take it for what it is - a mark of respect against a great player. You don't get booed unless you're any good. If you're no good no one cares."
McCaw said: "It's happened before and if you get wound up about it or worried about it it's not going to help you."
The second-half introduction of Sonny Bill Williams, Beauden Barrett and Charlie Faumuina asked a lot more questions of the Pumas and in the end were the key to the All Blacks' success. Williams in particular was outstanding - charging at the line and playing with an energy that was at a different level to his teammates.
He almost had a try assist but for Nehe Milner-Skudder dropping the ball cold but fortunately for the All Blacks Aaron Smith scored after wrong-footing his opposite Tomas Cubelli close to the line and Sam Cane, after first dropping a sitter, made it safe with a try of his own.
McCaw said the All Blacks nearly paid for their flat first half.
"We were getting beaten slightly to the punch in the contact areas. If we allowed that to happen in the second half, Argentina would have got away."
Hansen said the All Blacks, who play minnows Namibia at London's Olympic Stadium in four days, would be better for the match, adding: "There's no doubt we were rusty, really rusty. There's a lot of apprehension from every team that's played. I've watched most of the games over the weekend and everyone's been probably half a tick off the pace. That's what comes with World Cups, especially the first round. You're desperate to get started, you're desperate to get points on the board... so now it's out of the way I think all the teams will settle down and you'll see an improvement in execution.
"We definitely know we didn't execute as well as we could have."
