McCaw hot under collar over gripes

Fans told to stop the moaning

ALL Black legend Richie McCaw yesterday told New Zealand fans to stop moaning and enjoy the moment as their team chases a record 18th straight Test win this weekend.

The New Zealanders stand on the cusp of greatness, with pundits saying victory over Australia in Auckland on Saturday would cement their place as the best side in rugby history.

But there has been some angst in New Zealand that the men in black are so far ahead of their rivals that it is damaging international rugby.

McCaw, who retired last year after leading the All Blacks to back-to-back World Cups, said Kiwi fans tended to grumble whatever the result.

“People say ‘oh, the All Blacks are really dominant’ but look, that can change quick if you let your guard down,” he said.

“From a rugby point of view, it annoys me when Kiwis say ‘oh it’s not like it used to be, when games were close’. Well, they used to moan when it was close that we hadn’t played well.” The 148-Test veteran said New Zealanders could not assume their dominance would continue.

“If you let the standard drop a wee bit . . . there isn’t much between the top teams in the world,” said McCaw.

“It doesn’t take that much – if something is off, confidence is down – for things to turn around really quickly.”

Meanwhile, All Black halfback Aaron Smith has voluntarily stood down from Saturday’s tie with Australia in the wake of his toilet tryst scandal, New Zealand Rugby (NZR) said yesterday.

NZR said Smith offered to sit out the blockbuster tie against the Wallabies in Auckland at a disciplinary hearing into his conduct.

The 54-Test veteran was also issued with a formal warning over the incident last month, when he entered a disabled toilet cubicle with a woman at a busy Christchurch Airport the day after the Test against South Africa.

NZR said Smith’s action was “serious misconduct” that affected the reputation of the All Blacks and their commercial partners.

“Aaron presented himself as genuine, honest and incredibly remorseful,” it said in a statement.

“We have also taken into account the fact that the very public nature of this incident has had a significant impact on him personally.” The Auckland Test will be the second Smith has missed over the scandal after he was suspended from this month’s match against South Africa in Durban.

Smith made no comment in the NZR statement but offered a tearful apology earlier this month, saying the liaison with the mystery woman was a “huge mistake’.

NZR said the player was “committed to getting the support he needs to deal with personal issues and to work on his relationship with his partner”. — AFP