Richie McCaw says build-up to Bledisloe Cup has echoes of 2008

As the All Blacks head into the return clash against their arch-rivals in this year's Rugby Championship - following a 12-12 draw a week ago - McCaw feels the match has a similar feel to the one of six years ago that came in the wake of a thrashing by the Wallabies in Sydney.

New Zealand were beaten 34-19 at ANZ Stadium on that occasion, but rebounded with a 39-10 victory a week later at Eden Park - which is the biggest winning margin over the Wallabies during their current 14-Test losing streak at the venue.

"Over the years there have been occasions where a week apart things change a lot. I think back to 2008 when we got put to the sword in Sydney and there was a fair bit of edge that week. I suppose it's comparable," McCaw said.

"I actually thought in the first quarter of an hour [last weekend] we did all right," McCaw added. "But we certainly let the Wallaby pack get back into it and they perhaps had the edge in the second half.

"You imagine telling the big boys that on Monday, they weren't that happy.

"But that's all words. It's about putting it into action tomorrow. We've got to supply our backs with better ball than we got last week."

The openside flanker also added that his side need little motivation ahead of another meeting against their familiar foes.

He added: "The Bledisloe is on the line. If we get the job done it's a big incentive."

Referee Jaco Peyper has been a major talking point during the week after his officiating of the opening draw, with Romain Poite the man in the middle set to be under the spotlight on Saturday.

However, McCaw believes the onus is on the players to adapt to his adjudications.

"As a player you can't control the guy in the middle who has got the whistle," he said. "He's got a job to do and that's the way it is.

"We need to focus on what we can and make it as easy as possible for the guy with the whistle. If we do that then hopefully we don't have any excuses."