All Blacks: McCaw shrugs off pitch concerns

All Black captain Richie McCaw. Photo / Greg Bowker

After finally getting to see Etihad Stadium's much maligned surface with their own eyes, the All Blacks are relaxed heading into tomorrow night's Bledisloe Cup rugby series here.

The supposedly dangerous state of the slippery and shifting pitch has been a constant discussion point since New Zealand arrived in Melbourne a week ago.

But while Australian Football League clubs have threatened to boycott the venue unless they are guaranteed a firmer footing, McCaw shrugged off concerns about the turf quality after the squad spent 10 minutes wandering around the $2.2 million heat lighting system in place to strengthen the surface.

"I think it's been a lot of talk about not much. It's obviously not the best I've played on but I think it'll be good as gold."

The All Blacks will wear boots with traditional sprigs to help keep them upright, footwear not used by AFL players.

"Two big forward packs pushing the scrum might tear it up a little bit but I'm picking it'll be OK.

"The AFL guys do different things in a game compared to us. They might have an idea why they're moaning about it.

"I've played in mud up to the ankles before, you just get on with it."

McCaw said the surface appeared similar to Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, another roofed stadium hampered by a lack of natural light.

"Having a roof over is the down side, you don't get the sunlight to get the roots down or whatever," McCaw said.

The Wallabies held their captain's run on the venue earlier today but the All Blacks scheduled late afternoon slot was bumped because the ground was being prepared for tonight's AFL match between St Kilda and Essendon. They had a light run at a city sports field instead.

- NZPA