New Zealand captain Richie McCaw has taken responsibility for his team’s Bledisloe Cup defeat to Australia.
As the All Blacks prepare for their crucial Tri-Nations tie against South Africa in Christchurch this Saturday, McCaw stated the squad’s senior players need to learn after the 20-15 reverse in Melbourne.
“Everyone, myself included, put a lot of effort into the trip to South Africa. We took a while to get into that game and at the end we did what we needed to do,” McCaw told stuff.co.nz.
“Then we got to Melbourne and I don’t think we were all mentally quite there. We thought we were but come the end of it we weren’t.
“The frustrating part was we got the foundation right, we just didn’t finish the job.
“And myself, and the other leaders in the team, needed to make sure when the Wallabies got their tails up we changed our tack a wee bit – perhaps we didn’t need to play with the ball behind the gainline as we did a bit.
“I definitely take some of the responsibility for that. It has been a big learning curve for everyone.”
McCaw again leads the Kiwis at Jade Stadium, with a win vital to their chances of retaining the trophy.
As the All Blacks prepare for their crucial Tri-Nations tie against South Africa in Christchurch this Saturday, McCaw stated the squad’s senior players need to learn after the 20-15 reverse in Melbourne.
“Everyone, myself included, put a lot of effort into the trip to South Africa. We took a while to get into that game and at the end we did what we needed to do,” McCaw told stuff.co.nz.
“Then we got to Melbourne and I don’t think we were all mentally quite there. We thought we were but come the end of it we weren’t.
“The frustrating part was we got the foundation right, we just didn’t finish the job.
“And myself, and the other leaders in the team, needed to make sure when the Wallabies got their tails up we changed our tack a wee bit – perhaps we didn’t need to play with the ball behind the gainline as we did a bit.
“I definitely take some of the responsibility for that. It has been a big learning curve for everyone.”
McCaw again leads the Kiwis at Jade Stadium, with a win vital to their chances of retaining the trophy.
365 Digital
