Richie McCaw says the All Blacks' attitude is where it needs to be, despite a difficult first serious training hitout of the week in France.



If you were a nervous type you might worry about the little things that were starting to creep into this All Blacks buildup as they start the final phase of their remarkable test season.



Like head coach Steve Hansen missing today's first main training run of the week because he was at a referees' meeting in London, like star wing Julian Savea being absent from the same hitout because he was back in his hotel bed getting over a dose of the 'flu.



"I think the attitude is right - which you'd expect," said the All Blacks skipper who will earn his 122nd test cap on Saturday night in Paris (kickoff Sunday 9am, NZT). "We've just got to make sure we get all the little things ticked off so we're 100 per cent clear. Then you can bring the attitude that's required to make it all work.



"Often that shows out when you haven't got the ball. We'll just build nicely and hopefully by nine o'clock on Saturday night we'll be all right."



The veteran New Zealand skipper said he could sense a step up in intensity as the first major training session rolled around, and the great No 7 also indicated that the All Blacks weren't reading too much into the numbers that reflect a pretty one-sided rivalry of late.



"It doesn't just happen by chance, there's a lot of work that goes in every week to prepare and play," he said. "The times you don't perform or the result doesn't go your way, it often goes back to something you haven't done right during the week."



McCaw wasn't sure today whether wing Julian Savea would be fit for selection or not, but indicated the 23-year-old young star was on the mend.



"He was looking better today. The doc said he was going to be pretty crook for a couple of days but he seemed to have bounced back all right. I think he's all right."



Whether Hansen picks the youngster on such a precarious week's preparation remains to be seen, with the coach fond of suggesting his players needed to be able to put in a full week's preparation.



McCaw was also looking forward to going up against the French for the first time this year, after he sat out the June series on his extended break.



"In June I watched it from a real spectator's point of view trying to enjoy watching, though it wasn't that easy when you wish you were out there playing.



"When you look back to the World Cup that was a completely different situation to what we had in June, and coming here to play in Paris in a one-off situation after those three tests where the French would have been disappointed is different again.



"We haven't played here in Paris for a few years now. It's a great place to play, and for me that's where the excitement comes from."



McCaw was also asked about the All Blacks' fabulous record in their host country. They haven't lost a test in France since 2000 and it's all the way back to 1973 when the French last toppled the New Zealanders in Paris.



"It comes down to what you expect and what standards you have," said McCaw. "Just because we're playing on the other side of the world in someone else's backyard, there's no excuse for not performing.



"You can't control how the opposition plays, but some teams play better at home than they do away. We pride ourselves on no matter where you are it's a rugby field and if you prepare well, there's no reason you can't perform."



The All Blacks have a day off in Paris on Wednesday and will have their second major training hitout of the week on Thursday.