No rest for 'special' McCaw
Back to All Black: McAlister and Howlett for 2011?
New Zealand coach Graham Henry has insisted that star forward Richie McCaw will not be rested for the forthcoming November tour of Britain and Ireland.
On the back of securing Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup silverware, the All Blacks captain may have been forgiven a lengthy rest period over the coming months to recharge his seemingly endless batteries.
However, that sort of cautious mindset has been quickly laughed off by tactician Henry as he believes there is a proud stance to uphold on the international stage.
"We are expected to play well in every Test match, there are huge expectations," he said, speaking to the Independent.
"Our style of play, as well as winning, is extremely important. So that luxury is not available to us. If you took those liberties, you wouldn't last."
McCaw's presence was best typified during his August absence in Sydney as the Wallabies stunned their visitors with a clinical display.
Yet the following week witnessed a dramatic turnaround as the openside returned from injury in a tireless performance to help seal a 39-10 success.
However, despite the delight of lifting the trophy for the fourth successive season, Henry did admit that a comfortable replacement for McCaw is still yet to be pinned down as the earlier result in Australia proved.
"It will be a priority to find a back-up number seven. Daniel Braid is one possibility but there are also one or two other guys we want to have a look at," he continued.
"You will never get another McCaw; he's very, very rare. He's not only pretty special; he's playing better than ever. But we need to find the best player behind Richie and develop him."
During the testing journey of this season's arduous competition, New Zealand demonstrated that they have moved on from the high-profile departures of such players as Chris Jack, Jerry Collins, Luke McAlister and Doug Howlett who set sail for the north.
Scintiallating performances against the Springboks in Cape Town and the tournament finale in Brisbane were a pleasure to watch for Henry, who is intrigued to see his side's continued progress.
"It's too early to say [how good they could become], I don't think we'll know that until this time next year," he said.
"It will be interesting to see how some of the young guys develop on the northern hemisphere tour, starting in November. But there are many good young players coming through in New Zealand rugby and that definitely re-invigorates me.
"To have a [tournament] win and feel we have done something, is stimulating in itself. It is a burden we have been carrying around for a while.
"The pressure is there all the time but there was more this time because of the World Cup result. When we won the final game in Brisbane, it was the first time I felt real peace for nine months.
"It was the only thing to put the Cardiff thing [their World Cup defeat by France] to rest, although it will never be totally put to rest. But maybe it's in the background now.
"Had we lost in Brisbane, it would have increased the pressure. I knew that the new team couldn't afford to falter. Even so, we had a couple of hiccups."
Finally, returning to those star names who transferred overseas post the French nightmare, Henry enlightened the All Blacks fans of some encouraging news.
News that there could be a reversal from several players who crave 2011 Webb Ellis spots with Sale's McAlister possibly coming home for the next international season along with wing Howlett.
"I wouldn't be surprised if others are thinking the same way," he revealed.
"We can't pick the overseas guys at the moment because of our policy, with which I agree incidentally. Then there's a guy like Joe Rokocoko who has been out for the whole Tri-Nations this year."