All Blacks' McCaw buries hatchet with Heaslip
Luke Fitzgerald, Gordon D'Arcy and Jamie Heaslip in the Ireland commemorative kit to be worn against South Africa on November 6. Photo: Brendan Moran / Sportsfile
NEW ZEALAND captain Richie McCaw carries no grudge towards Jamie Heaslip ahead of next month's clash with Ireland and says he has "moved on" from the red card incident in their last Test encounter in June.
Heaslip was sent off after 15 minutes in New Plymouth for kneeing McCaw at a ruck, with the All Blacks taking advantage of their numerical superiority to romp to a 66-28 victory. The Ireland No 8 served a five-week suspension during the summer and has started the season in superb form for Leinster, captaining the province to four victories in a row in October.
McCaw is looking forward to New Zealand's Grand Slam tour, and the Ireland match at the redeveloped Lansdowne Road on November 20, and says the red card incident has been put firmly in the past.
"These things sometimes happen on the field so you just move on," said McCaw. "I definitely do not carry grudges. I can put that stuff away and get on with the game.
"The Irish game will be the first time we have played at the new stadium so that will be special. If we don't turn up with the right attitude, it will be a tough day. I've never had an easy win in Dublin."
Declan Kidney has called Luke Fitzgerald and Brett Wilkinson into his squad ahead of the November 6 clash with South Africa. South African loose-head Wilkinson, who qualifies for Ireland under the residency rule, covers for the injured Marcus Horan.
Fitzgerald was not named in the original 34-man panel but recovered sufficiently from injury to join up with the squad yesterday.
- Hugh Farrelly
Irish Independent
