The greatest seven?: Richie McCaw gets Gatland's vote of approval

Related links

Teams

• New Zealand
• Wales

Wales coach Warren Gatland has refused to jump on the anti-Richie McCaw bandwagon, claiming he is "the greatest seven" in world rugby.

Australia's 1991 World Cup-winning coach Bob Dwyer recently provoked a storm by claiming in the New Zealand media that All Blacks captain McCaw broke the rules.

Dwyer said McCaw effectively refereed Test matches he played in, and that there appeared to be one law for New Zealand's openside flanker and one for every other player.

But Gatland, whose team are next up for McCaw and company in Cardiff on Saturday, dismissed the outspoken Dwyer's verdict.

"Richie McCaw is the greatest seven in the world. I think he is a fantastic player," said Gatland.

"Often, when you get the world's best players, the criticism they get is that they cheat because they are often so good.

"He is no different to a number of other players in terms of the criticism All Blacks number sevens have had in the past.

"When (England's) Neil Back was on top of his game, he had the same sort of criticism.

"It's how you combat the physicality and the things McCaw brings to the game. That's what we have got to cope with."

Gatland has given a vote of confidence to the team that ran world champions South Africa close two weeks ago as Wales target a first victory over New Zealand since 1953.

But several areas of the side came under New Zealander Gatland's selection microscope before he retained it.

"The message we are sending out is it doesn't matter who you are, you've got to perform. There is no guaranteed selection week in, week out," he added.

"It's how people respond, isn't it? You want them to respond with a performance, by doing their talking on the field.

"For some of the more senior heads in the side, we know we are looking for stand-out performances from each and every one of them if we are to be able to match the opposition."

Ospreys fly-half James Hook will feature on the bench if he recovers in time from a knee tendon injury, but 19-year-old Dan Biggar remains on stand-by, while two other changes among the replacements see possible chances for Cardiff Blues prop John Yapp and Dragons lock Luke Charteris.

The All Blacks, who have comfortably disposed of Scotland and Ireland this month without conceding a try, can boast 19 successive wins against Wales.

And Gatland has no doubt what qualities his players must show in their quest to end that dismal sequence.

"The thing with the All Blacks - we've been stressing it this week - is from World Cup to World Cup they are easily the best team in the world and very rarely get tested," said Gatland.

"When they are in front and playing with confidence, there is no-one who can touch them.

"But if you put them under a bit of pressure and the Test match gets into an arm wrestle, that is when you see cracks.

"We've seen that in World Cups. If you want to beat them, you've got to get them into an arm wrestle and see if you can expose the cracks.

"If you can't do that, then potentially it can be a blow-out against you."