Contrary to public opinion, Richie McCaw knows the All Blacks have no divine right to beat France in the Rugby World Cup final.New Zealand won the inaugural edition of the tournament on home soil, against France, in 1987.

Since then, they have suffered continual disappointment every four years, failing to live up to their billing as the best team in the world.

Now they have come full circle, back at Auckland's Eden Park 24 years later, with France their opponents once again.

Much of the rugby-watching world expects the All Blacks to finally get the job done, and the whole of New Zealand are praying this is their moment.

But McCaw is the man charged with making it happen.

And the captain is sensible enough to remember there will be two teams on the field on Sunday, and both will desperate to win.

"At the end of the day, in a final, it is not about who deserves what," McCaw said.

"It is about who goes and plays the best rugby on that stage, in this game."

Drawing on the disappointment of a shock quarter-final loss to France in the 2007 tournament, McCaw intends to embrace the importance of Sunday's final, rather than let its significance intimidate him.

"If there's a game you want to pick to be involved through your career it would be a World Cup final and we've got that opportunity tomorrow," he said.

McCaw was a callow 22-year-old when the All Blacks were dumped out the 2003 tournament by Australia in the semi-finals.

Brad Thorn and Kevin Mealamu are two more survivors of that defeat, and McCaw believes they will be hungry to make amends when they take to pitch on Sunday.

"A lot of guys have been through one, if not two, experiences that have not been too flash,'' McCaw said.

"You would like to think that just hardens the resolve and the desire. I just think from my point of view, back in 2003, I didn't understand what it took to win a World Cup."

"Perhaps I didn't understand again in '07.''

"To win it you have got to be the best team in that tournament regardless of what has happened beforehand and you have to produce the goods when it counts."

"A lot of the guys that have been around a while will understand that. There are absolutely no guarantees. You look around some fellas that have been around a while, they are pretty determined. This is their last sort of chance and they want to make the most of it.''