Wallabies coach Michael Cheika has lauded All Blacks skipper
Richie McCaw in the buildup to Saturday's Rugby Championship
decider in Sydney.
It's Chieka's first assignment against the All Blacks and he becomes the latest man in charge of an Australian team desperate to get the better of McCaw and his New Zealand troops.
Cheika made no secret of his respect for the veteran All Blacks captain as McCaw gets set to equal Irish great Brian O'Driscoll's world record haul of 141 test caps.
Cheika marvelled at McCaw's durability and consistency.
"Well I don't know him very much as a person but, what a player, you know? What a fantastic player," Cheika toldESPNscrum.com.
"The difference between the good players and the great players is the great players play good all the time, and he certainly plays good all the time."
Cheika said McCaw's match-winning try against the Springboks in Johannesburg had been proof that his leadership and game are still as good as ever.
While some raised questions over the legality of McCaw's stunning try from a planned lineout move, Cheika tipped his hat to the audacity of the play.
"Yeah, I thought 'very well thought out'," Cheika said of the try that ensured an All Blacks win and left New Zealand and Australia unbeaten and ready to sort out the destination of the Rugby Championship title on Saturday night.
"And more importantly calling it in the key moment; that shows a lot of self-belief. And it's classic of them, they scored a try similar off some type of move like that in the [2011] World Cup final under immense pressure and, you know, it shows where they're at around their own self-belief."
This weekend's test also doubles as the opener in a two-match Bledisloe Cup series. Cheika will try to return the giant cup to Australian shores for the first time since they surrendered it to the All Blacks in 2003.
McCaw has played the Wallabies more than any team during his stellar career. He has 27 wins from 34 tests against Australia, losing five and drawing two.
He had a win and a loss to the Wallabies in 2002 – his first full year in the All Blacks – and then helped them lift the trophy the following year which included a 50-21 demolition in Sydney.
Cheika oversaw a fiery and physical Wallabies training session on Monday that left flanker Sean McMahon with a bloodied mouth. He promised to lift the intensity further as the week progresses because of the occasion. And he again grabbed hold of the underdog's collar.
"It's not regular rugby, this is as good as it gets, to play test match footy," Cheika told rugby media as training wound up.
"I want everyone to enjoy the week's preparation, as we did last week in Argentina, but have the best possible preparation and improve all those little bits.
"You don't need to have that underdog [tag] to get motivated, we know we're the underdog, we won't have to guess about that.
"What we need to do is slowly but surely try and change those perceptions.
"We want to have more consistency in everything we do, every training session, every gym session, every bit of work we do we want to have a better quality and more consistent quality.
"And that will then in turn make us regular for the games.
"Every week, people will believe in us a little bit more to turn up and do our bit."
Cheika said he and his coaching team had worked hard on their defensive strategy "because it's always a big challenge against New Zealand".
"We've gathered our thoughts on what they're going to bring and where their strengths are, where we have to try to probe as well."
