Goal accomplished: Richie McCaw
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New Zealand captain Richie McCaw believes his side proved their world champion status after winning the Rugby Championship in Argentina.
The All Blacks ran in seven tries to win 54-15 at Estadio Ciudad de La Plata and take a nine-point table advantage with one round of games to go.
A surprisingly easy victory stretched their winning run to fifteen matches, with Tests in South Africa and Australia before November's tour of Europe.
"It was one of our best performances this season," said McCaw after the triumph.
"When we started out in the Championship the goal was to put last year behind us. We have got the tag of world champions and we needed to play like them.
"To secure the Rugby Championship was obviously the big goal and it is nice to be able to do that. We gave a performance the guys are pretty happy with. It is the manner in which we did it that was so satisfying."
The 31-year-old takes a long break after the Rugby Championship in an attempt to try and prolong his international career ahead of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, which England host.
Head coach Steve Hansen meanwhile said his unbeaten team still needed to improve certain parts of their game despite the All Blacks' pace and power hurting the Pumas.
"We can pat ourselves on the back and enjoy the moment, but there are still areas to improve on and one of them is the connection between the forwards and backs," he said.
"To be able to attack like that you must have a platform to work off so the forwards can be very proud. Our rucking was also much better than against South Africa."
Comments
Carpelone says...
They are ugly, both the man and the trophy.
Posted 09:25 01st October 2012
s15rules says...
Georgesmith is trinats2 your bed partner and bok van dam your father.
Serious question
Posted 09:23 01st October 2012
Ramage says...
georgesmith get a life we are fed up with your ridiculous posts you are the most negative person on this site. I look forward to the time you have something positive to say about the players who bring us such pleasure from their efforts on the field of play. Something you would never do because you are such a low life who abuses these great rugby players week in and week out. Take you r tent and p... off into the sunset. Enough is enough.
Posted 08:48 01st October 2012
2eyedkiwi says...
Georgesmith - are you trinats5's angry b*stard son??
Posted 08:36 01st October 2012
georgesmith says...
R.McCheat cheated three times against the Pumas and got away all three times.
Shame of the referee and the ABs for resorting to cheating to win.
Posted 05:14 01st October 2012
sandal says...
This team's followup to the World Cup has certainly been superior to that of previous champions. Consider the losing streak that England went on. And the fact that the champions of 95, 99, 03 and 07 all lost their next games to the All Blacks. If my memory is correct, the Wallabies, champions of 91, beat the ABs by one point in their next encounter.
The Springboks of 95 and 07 failed to win the ensuing Tri Nations. England of 03 failed to win their next Six Nations.
Only the 99 Wallabies won their next tournament, the 2000 Tri Nations, with a one-point victory in Wellington after Anton Oliver was penalised for taking too long over a throw in. (Every time a hooker steps forward to hear the lineout call, after failing to hear it over the crowd noise the first time, I think back to Jonathan Kaplan's ridiculous and never-repeated ruling that cost the ABs a Tri Nations).
Posted 02:28 01st October 2012
dropkick says...
Arise Sir Richie. Played like a man possessed yet again. He has a target the size of Vesuvius on his back every game and gets hit with a cheap shot on the ground approx every third game (Q Cooper and Greyling being the two who come to mind in recent years). He is routinely singled out for special pre and post match bile by the trolls that infest this site. No one comes close to his winning record, trophy cabinet (maybe John Eales) and longevity.
Take a break son and enjoy your time at that Swiss cloning clinic at the NZRU's expense. We sure as hell will miss you when you're done.
Posted 01:15 01st October 2012
Sincero says...
Fair play to the All Blacks for winning a title, rather than purchasing it. This one is fully deserved.
Posted 22:59 30th September 2012
lalby says...
My man of the match was Hansen. With his prematch whinge he managed to get the ref to stop Pumas slowing the ball and from there Carter executed the plan.
Enjoy the cup, next time in Argentina will be a battle....give my regardas to the fat H
Posted 19:13 30th September 2012
Phill_Moore says...
Honest question, is there any meaningful trophy missing from the ABs cabinet?
Posted 18:13 30th September 2012