Canadians tip All Blacks to win Cup

By GREG TOURELLE

Canada coach Dave Clark thinks the All Blacks will win the rugby World Cup and was delighted by his team's effort in upsetting the New Zealanders at times here on Saturday night.

"They are the team to beat. They have got the best finishers in the game," he told a press conference after the 68-6 win by the All Blacks at Telstra Dome.

"They have got power up front, they've got very good links, first five-eighth Carlos Spencer is playing an extremely good game of rugby."

Having praised the opposition, Clark said his team had toiled valiantly and were only too happy to nominate where they had forced the All Blacks into error.

"We took ball from the lineout. We had a defensive system that we felt put pressure on their thrower and made them change a couple of their calls, because we were going to position in the lineout before they were throwing the ball which took some of their linkages away.

"I felt that we could be very good at the one-on-one tackle and we felt we could tripod it and put two guys on the hips of the ball carrier and take it a bit further down the track and we did that very well.

"I think they will have to be careful with the pick-and-go game against some more astute rugby players than we may be and they could be vulnerable around that particular area."

He said All Black coach John Mitchell had paid the Canadians a compliment towards the end of the game by bringing on Doug Howlett as a replacement.

"He is probably the fastest man in world rugby apart from the Fijian winger who is so fast I can't remember his name."

But Clark also said the All Blacks were still playing their tactics close to their chests at this early stage of the tournament.

"They are certainly not to going to reveal against Italy, Canada and Tonga how they are going to play the game when they get up to play Australia or in the quarterfinals.

"Mr Mitchell is a very astute coach and he is not going to let Mr Woodward (England coach Clive Woodward) see what he is doing right now."

Canada's captain Ryan Banks said his players were pleased to have made the All Blacks work hard, but he praised the All Blacks' tight forwards.

"They took us apart in almost every scrum that they wanted to. I'm not sure if they were sandbagging, but I think they are not showing their full repertoire yet.

"I think they are probably looking at games down the road and keeping a few cards in the deck."

- NZPA