All Blacks warn Springboks

AUCKLAND – The All Blacks moved their sights to South Africa after beating the Wallabies 22-16 in the opening Tri-Nations clash Saturday with coach Graham Henry warning his side can only get better.

Since disposing of the British and Irish Lions last month the South Africans have been installed by bookmakers as hot favourites to break the All Blacks’ four-year grip on the Tri-Nations crown.The defending champions failed to fire on all cylinders in their Tests against France and Italy last month and the under-par form continued to haunt them as they struggled for the first 20 minutes against the Wallabies.But when talismanic captain Richie McCaw crashed through a wall of defenders for the opening try he launched a comeback that turned a 3-13 deficit into a 22-16 victory.In the final 20 minutes, ‘we pretty much squeezed them’, McCaw said. ‘It wasn’t pretty but there were forced turnovers. Our defence was good and we didn’t give them a lot of options which is pretty good.’The win drew praise from a New Zealand media which had been harshly critical of the team after the June Test performances.’Hail to the chief: Richie McCaw,’ said the Sunday Star-Times. ‘All Blacks show heart,’ added the Herald on Sunday while the Sunday News said: ‘Henry warns Springboks.’Despite the improvement, a sense of frailty remained, due in particular to the way the Wallabies exploited midfield lapses, scoring one try and only missing two others by their own errors.The All Blacks ‘felt a bit rusty’ in the opening stages, Henry said as his side prepared for a pre-dawn flight to South Africa yesterday and back-to-back Tests against the Springboks over the next two weeks.’Next week I’m sure we’ll be even better,’ added McCaw, who spearheaded the All Blacks victory despite stepping into the fray after being sidelined for nearly two months with a knee injury. – Nampa-AFP