All Blacks skipper Richie McCaw can't fathom the fuss over Etihad Stadium's maligned surface and expects it to be "good as gold" in Saturday night's Bledisloe Cup clash with Australia.

McCaw and the New Zealand squad visited the Docklands venue on Thursday night and had little issue with the state of the under-fire pitch.

The NZ flanker said he'd played on far worse grounds and didn't expect the greasy surface to be as much of a problem as it was for AFL players last weekend.

AFL officials this week branded the slippery pitch unacceptable and South African referee Craig Joubert reportedly had concerns about the opening Bledisloe Cup Test going ahead.

"I think it's been a lot of talk about not much," McCaw said on Friday.

"It's obviously not the best I've played on but it's going to be fine I think.

"I think it's going to be good as gold."

McCaw likened the roofed Etihad Stadium to Cardiff's Millennium Stadium - the venue where the All Blacks were upset 20-18 by France in the 2007 World Cup quarter-final.

"Two big forward packs pushing the scrum may rip the ground up a bit but I think it will be fine," he said.

"Just from our point of view you can't change it so there's no point worrying about it.

"They (AFL players) might have an idea of it the way they're moaning about it but from our point of view let's get on with it."

The Wallabies train at Etihad Stadium late Friday morning.

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP