McCaw hails composed ABs
All Blacks captain Richie McCaw praised his team's composure in their victory over the Springboks in Soweto on Saturday.
The world champions were forced to come from behind to seal their 16th consecutive Test win, and they rose to the occasion admirably, scoring 20 unanswered points in the second half.
It was McCaw's 100th victory in an All Black jersey and the legendary skipper said that playing in front of over 80 000 people had been a special experience.
"It is a helluva stadium to play in and you love playing in these Test matches because they are brutal and you have got to be on your game and that is what it was like tonight," he said.
The most satisfying part of the win for McCaw was the way his team fought back after being put under some early pressure by the Springboks and he singled out the senior players as crucial to that effort.
"I was proud of the guys because for 40 minutes we were on the back foot really and couldn't get our hands on the ball but we stuck at it and to come away with the win is hugely satisfying.
"I think that is the value of having guys that have been around for a while, and we have got a few in the team, you keep believing in what you are doing.
"We were our own worst enemies at times because we didn't have the ball and perhaps chased those 50/50s and gave away penalties which let them get momentum but the second half we were a lot better on that side of things and we built the pressure ourselves," he said.
McCaw was sporting a big shiner apparently given to him inadvertently by a teammate, but he was confident that the satisfaction of another victory in South Africa would help ease the pain.
"This game certainly doesn't make you any prettier I'll tell you, but when you sit in the changeroom with the men that you go out to battle with and have a cold one it is pretty satisfying," he said.
