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McCaw wasn't fit in that game either and neither was Carter. The pair of them have been carrying injuries all season. McCaw took a huge knock early on in that game and Carter had one of his worst ever performances in a black jersey, but it was a very poor All Black performance for the most part with only a few players living up to their usual standards. Nevertheless, that was in August. If you look at the World Cup to date, Australia has regressed from that Brisbane performance and New Zealand have improved in the back three and more crucially the pack. This World Cup is no longer about Richie McCaw and Dan Carter. Guys like Tony Woodcock, Owen Franks, Jerome Kaino, Peri Weepu and Israel Dagg hold the keys to victory. Of course, Australia can win. If they were going to break their losing streak at Eden Park it would be more likely to happen on the big stage than in a Bledisloe test, but New Zealand are playing at home and have a very good team and need to go out there and perform to their ability. The last time Aaron Cruden started against Australia in Sydney he was let down by the senior players around him and some poor prep from the coaches for that game, but we still won.
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