All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw has brushed off the almost certain loss of centre Conrad Smith for Saturday's Rugby Championship match against Australia, when the world champions could set a new record for consecutive victories. New Zealand's final preparations for the start of their title defence were hit by a pregnant pause on Friday morning when Smith rushed home to Wellington to be with his wife for the birth of their first child. Exciting young talent Malakai Fekitoa will come off the bench to replace the 77-test veteran in midfield and Ryan Crotty has been called into the squad, even if coach Steve Hansen has not given up hope Smith might play a part in the match. "At the end of the day, if you let those things influence what you do in the weekend, you haven't really got the environment set up right so hopefully everyone's aware of what's going on and have prepared as such." That sort of sangfroid in the face of disruption typifies the sort of team culture that has helped the All Blacks match the record for most consecutive victories for a top tier nation over the last 14 months.
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