KEY POINTS:
AIX EN PROVENCE - Captain Richie McCaw has no qualms with the stop-start nature of the All Blacks' on-field time together at this rugby World Cup.
The top 15 to play the quarterfinal in Cardiff next week will be close to the side who started against Scotland in
Edinburgh last Monday, which in itself closely mirrored the lineup for their tournament opener against Italy in Marseille.
McCaw believed two-week gaps between matches for the top lineup wasn't a problem and was confident combinations would gel seamlessly in Cardiff.
"We train a fair bit together, even when we're not playing that week," McCaw said.
"Over time we've all played a fair bit of rugby together. The 15 that takes the field one week, guys slot in pretty easily, I think. It's not a big issue at all."
Critics of the fumbling 40-0 win at Edinburgh wouldn't be convinced by McCaw's logic.
Some, including former All Blacks prop John Drake, believe the top side should face Romania in the final pool game at Toulouse on Saturday to give them more time to cement combinations.
Instead, the second-choice players are likely to form the bulk of this week's team.
Assistant coach Steve Hansen said effectively having two groups of players changing from week to week had suited them best at this tournament.
"We've seen that with our team over the last three or four years," he said.
"We can field one side one week and another side the next week and still have a high-quality performance."
Combinations are clearly not a concern within team management, who this week allowed every player a complete two-day break from rugby.
They reconvened this morning (NZ time).
The side to face Romania was to be named tonight, with just two days left to prepare for a game that should be won in a doddle.
McCaw believed the benefits of the break would be seen next week and deeper into the knockout phase.
"The purpose of having a couple of days away from rugby is to ensure that excitement remains and we get really ready for what's going to be a pretty exciting three or four weeks," he said.
Physically, a break was timely too. It gave a chance to recover from, and reflect on, an energetic Scottish challenge.
"The Scottish team flew into it and perhaps forced us in to a few mistakes," McCaw said.
"I think we got enough ball to attack with. There were times where we almost broke the line but forced passes which weren't quite on.
"It's where our mistakes came and that's probably the most disappointing part."
McCaw and his team will be hoping for the same sort of scrum dominance to continue in the playoffs as unfolded at Murrayfield.
He wasn't surprised the Scots offered little with the ball given the working over their scrum underwent.
"There was a period in that second half, especially those scrums, that sucked a lot of energy out of the Scottish.
"It would be pretty hard to attack after being in scrums like that."
An unsung hero in the scrums was lock Reuben Thorne, playing his first game of the tournament after fighting off injury.
While his value as a lineout jumper is often questioned, Hansen said the Canterbury veteran was a superb scrummaging lock.
"He proved he can play there. I've been quoted as saying I didn't think he could do it a couple of years ago," Hansen said.
"He's a strong character and a quality rugby player."
- NZPA
