World Cup countdown:Richie McCaw is relaxed about New Zealand's abilities but admits they must win the ultimate prize to cement their reputation, writes Marc Hinton

Richie McCaw leans casually against a wall at the All Blacks' team hotel doing a good impression of someone without a worry in the world. If the All Blacks captain is feeling the strain of leading his country as they bid to end 20 barren years at the World Cup he hides it well.

Kiwis rate the pressure of being skipper alongside being the country's leader as an election approaches. But even the prime minister's gig must be a doddle compared with what McCaw faces. The flanker must deliver the World Cup to avoid the embarrassment of having his name placed alongside Gary Whetton, Sean Fitzpatrick, Taine Randell and Reuben Thorne as those who have let a nation down by falling short.

"I'm pretty relaxed," he says. "In terms of what we're going to do on the field I'm confident with what we've got. I guess some of the attention and stuff that the All Blacks will get in France, that's something we've got to get right and not let it affect how we perform. We've got to keep our focus on doing it right on the field."

In the last two World Cups the All Blacks have stumbled unexpectedly in the semi-finals, unable to summon plan B when it was needed. Is he confident he has a group capable of adjusting on its feet at this tournament?

"If you look around the team there's 15 who have been around for four years - that's a lot of experience. Hopefully we've been through these types of situation.

"The classic one was against Australia (in the Tri-Nations decider, won by New Zealand, in Auckland recently) - there were two trophies on the line, it was must-win and we perhaps hadn't performed previously. We now realise we can find those little things you've got to call on. I think we're ready."

McCaw, who was named man of the match on his debut against Ireland in 2001 at the age of 20 and first captained the side in 2003, acknowledges his career will be incomplete without success at the World Cup .

"It's definitely going to define me, it's going to define this team," he says. "A lot of the guys have played a lot of rugby over the last four years and we've been pretty successful over the four years. But what happens in the next six weeks will be how you remember what this team is about. We're pretty proud about what we've done so far and that can't be taken away from us. But it'd be nice just to put the icing on the cake. That's what this World Cup is about. Once you get to the knockout stage it's three big games you've got to win and I know we've got the ability to do that if we get it right."

This is where McCaw is at peace with his lot. He looks around him at a New Zealand team that have lost only five times in their four years under Graham Henry, three in the last three years and not once in the Northern Hemisphere. There will always be questions until the cup is lifted, and that pressure is there every step of the way when you're an All Black, but this 26-year-old veteran of 55 Tests would not swap with anyone.

That is why he shrugs off the pressure factor in France: "What I'm trying to emphasise to the team is, instead of looking at it like that, we should look at it as what a great challenge it is. We should get excited about it, because a lot of people would love to have a chance to go play in a World Cup and we've got that chance."

In other words, do not get too wound up by history?

"You can't afford to because then it just becomes a big weight on your shoulders and that isn't going to help you do your job," he says. "Pressure's always going to be there but, as Graham says, having pressure's a privilege. If you haven't got it, you might as well go and do something else."

But McCaw is not strictly worry-free. He sees some dangerous opponents ahead. New Zealand could face Ireland in a quarter-final and that, he believes, would be a huge contest.

"Then once you get to semis or final each team has the ability to win. What should happen doesn't always happen . . . I think the French are starting to come right, they've got some key players back and they're going to be a pretty big force."

McCaw isn't writing off the defending champions either. He watched England recently against France, largely outplayed but still "sniffing around" most of the game: "That's the way they are and where they did really well last World Cup. They weren't flashy but they just hung around and took their chances. They've still got a few guys who have been there and know what's required. They're a real threat."

McCaw has spoken often about the pain of the 22-10 semi-final defeat by Australia in 2003.

He says he and his 14 fellow survivors have carried the scars of that with them for four long years. Now is redemption time.

"We've just got to make sure we get ourselves in the best shape to be the best team at the tournament. It doesn't matter what you've done before. You could argue we had some of the best talent last tournament but we just didn't perform and I guess that's the big thing that has irked me for a while."