All Black legend Richie McCaw on Monday 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 told Sydney’s Daily Telegraph.
“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,” McCaw said.
“It doesn’t take that much — if something is off, confidence is down — for things to turn around really quickly.”
