No McCaw(s) for panic over AB captain

New Zealand captain Richie McCaw played down any worries over his half-time removal during the All Blacks’ 42-11 win over France on Saturday.

The openside flanker departed at the interval with his side 20-3 up against the depleted Six Nations champions.

Playmaker Dan Carter also left the Eden Park pitch and did not return for the second period, but McCaw expected both to recover for the second test in Wellington next week.

“I just got a bruise on the hip, nothing too bad and I think DC (Carter) is not too bad either,” said McCaw after the game.

“There’ll be a few bruised boys but we’ll just look forward to next week.”

The back-rower was pleased with his side’s determination, their pressure paying off as they dominated set pieces and territory.

“I think our defence got us off the hook a bit, but there’s a bit for us to work on in the next week,” he added.

“But we scored some good tries at the end through turnover ball and we really put the pressure on.

“The scrum was pretty good. We backed ourselves in that area, and in the line-out, we perhaps sorted that out, and towards the end got some pretty good set-piece ball.”

France’s tour captain Olivier Magne kept his view positive as well, saying the youngsters would learn from the defeat ahead of the Rugby World Cup.

There was little disgrace in the defeat for the young team that featured nine new caps in all, including replacements.

“It was a good run-out for all the young players who started for the first time for the French team,” said Magne.

“We knew it was going to be a hard game but it was good preparation for the World Cup.

“The All Blacks played very well in the scrum and at line-out, and we didn’t have enough of the ball to launch our game.

“We expect it will be better for the French team when we play next weekend.”