The All Blacks were recently described – with considerable justification – as the most successful team in world sport, and Richie McCaw is their most decorated player and captain.
On that basis, the flanker who turned 33 on New Year’s Eve is worthy of a place in the rugby pantheon and in MailOnline Sport’s
Hall of Fame. He is a player who longevity of success has come to
symbolise New Zealand’s dominance of the 15-man code, over several
years.
A handful of stark facts go some way to telling the remarkable tale of McCaw’s career achievements. He is the most capped All Black in history – with 124 full international appearances – and is fourth on the global list; behind George Gregan, Brian O’Driscoll and Ronan O’Gara.
Proud as punch: New Zealand's Richie McCaw holds up the Webb Ellis Cup during the All Blacks' 2011 Rugby World Cup celebration parade in Auckland
Centurion: McCaw (right) shakes hands with former All Black Jock Hobbs as he is honoured with his 100th cap after the 2011 Rugby World Cup Pool A match between New Zealand and France at Eden Park, Auckland
Blood, sweat and tears: McCaw leaves the field for the blood bin during the 2003 Rugby World Cup quarter-final between New Zealand and South Africa in Melbourne, Australia
Sportsmail's Hall of Fame
No 1: Roger Federer by Mike Dickson
No 2: Graham Gooch by Nasser Hussain
No 3: Sebastian Coe by Matt Lawton
No 4: Muhammad Ali by Jeff Powell
No 5: Tiger Woods by Derek Lawrenson
No.6: Ayrton Senna by Jonathan McEvoy
No.7: Desert Orchid by Marcus Townend
He led his country to World Cup glory
at home in 2011 and last year he became the first player in his sport
to participate in 100 Test victories – losing just 12 during that long
period. He has captained his national team more times than any other
player in the history of the game.
When
he has been skipper – a position he has held full-time since 2006 – New
Zealand have won 90 per cent of their matches. While Wayne Shelford
didn’t lose a match as captain from 1987-1990, McCaw’s win ratio is
greater than anyone else who has served as the Kiwi kingpin for 15
internationals or more.
As if all that wasn’t enough, there has been a veritable torrent of individual awards over the years too. While those he has repeatedly claimed at home are too numerous to mention, what stands out is that McCaw has been named the IRB’s world Player of the Year a record three times. On five other occasions, he has been short-listed for the prestigious honour.
World beaters: McCaw lifts the trophy after New Zealand beat France in the final of the 2011 Rugby World Cup
Victory dance: McCaw (centre) and his team-mates perform a Hake behind the Webb Ellis Cup in 2011
McCaw's stats
Born, December 31, 1980 (Oamaru, New Zealand)
Caps: 124
Points: 105
Along the way, he has remained a
down-to-earth, humble individual who is ill at ease in the glare of fame
which accompanies his public profile in New Zealand – where rugby is
the national game. He was born in Oamaru in North Otago and grew up in
the coastal town before moving to Dunedin at the age of 14, to attend
Otago Boys’ High School.
From
there he went on to Christchurch, to study at Lincoln University. It
was during that period that McCaw began his rapid rise to prominence, as
he was picked to represent the national Under 19 and Under 21 teams,
before making his break-through into the Canterbury 1st team at
provincial level.
Silverware: McCaw celebrates victory for the Crusaders in the 2005 Super 12 Final in Christchurch, New Zealand
He had only just surfaced in the Crusaders Super 14 team for the first time in 2001 when he was swiftly promoted into the New Zealand squad by the-then coach, John Mitchell, for the end-of-season tour. His debut against Ireland in Dublin served as a sign of what was to come, as McCaw won the Man of the Match award after the visitors fought back from a half-time deficit to win.
He has barely looked back since –
appearing at three World Cups; in 2003, 2007 and 2011, the latter two as
captain and the latest of them, ultimately, as a champion and national
hero. McCaw was also part of the New Zealand team who trounced the Lions
3-0 in 2005.
It was at
around that time that the openside endured a worrying sequence of
concussion injuries leading to sustained headaches and migraines, which
raised fears about his health. For a brief time, he questioned his
future in the sport, before recovering and reclaiming his place among
the leading lights of his profession.
The bread-and-butter of annual southern-hemisphere competition has been a story of relentless achievement for McCaw and the All Blacks during his era, with nine Tri-Nations and Rugby Championship titles in the 12 years since his debut. Yet, the 2007 World Cup ended in quarter-final failure and criticism of captain and coach.
Captain and coach: McCaw walks from the field with coach Graham Henry at Eden Park in 2007
Pumped up: McCaw performs the Haka before the Test match between New Zealand and Ireland in 2012
Luckily, in hindsight,
both were retained and went on to make amends four years later. McCaw
had suffered a broken metatarsal in his foot earlier in 2011 and when he
endured a recurrence of the injury during the pool stage of the
tournament, the host nation was gripped by a collective sense of dread.
But he soldiered on – barely training – and dragged his tense team over
the line with an 8-7 win against France in the final, to reach their
destiny.
Afterwards,
Henry said of his wounded, magnificent leader: ‘Richie is an
inspiration. He can hardly walk and how he played today I just don’t
know. That he got through it was down to his heart and determination. He
is the best leader this country has ever had.
‘You
can’t just go down to the chemist’s and get a captain over the counter.
Richie has gained strength through experience. He has led the All
Blacks in more than 60 Tests and he got his reward today when he got his
hands on the cup.’
Charge: McCaw is surrounded by the England defence at Twickenham in November 2010
Try and stop me: McCaw goes through the tackle of Scotland's Chris Cusiter during the Rugby World Cup 2007 Pool C match at Murrayfield, Edinburgh
War wounds: McCaw is clapped off by the Lions after New Zealand won the second Test 48-18 in 2005
What McCaw has also
gained through experience is a wily knack for adapting his game to move
with the times. Along with a full repertoire of handling skills,
defensive clout, pace (certainly in the earlier days), aerial prowess
and physicality, he has become renowned as a master of playing to the
limit of the laws. His break-down work has been respected and revered as
much for his ability to cunningly dupe officials (an art form for any
openside) as to disrupt the opposition.
One
long-term adversary, ex-South Africa lock Victor Matfield, said:
‘Although he plays close to the law he doesn’t give a lot of penalties
away. He’s very clever at getting away with things. When he talks to the
referees, they listen to him. He can get the referee to make certain
calls because of what he’s done in his career. He’s very influential.’
Ready for battle: McCaw leads the All Blacks out onto the field against Ireland at Eden Park in June 2012
Parade: McCaw holds the Webb Ellis Cup aloft for thousands of supporters in Auckland in 2011
In recent years,
challengers to his status as the world’s premier No 7 have emerged in
the shape of Australia’s David Pocock and Sam Warburton of Wales,
amongst others. There has been occasional talk of a man whose powers are
on the wane, but McCaw has made a mockery of such a notion by leading
the All Blacks in the majority of their 26 wins and one draw in 28 Tests
since the World Cup triumph.
After a sabbatical at the start of last year, the icon is setting his sights on the next global gathering in 2015, by which time he will have surely amassed even more individual records and plaudits. Already, he is regarded as one of the greats of the game, if not the greatest of them all. Last year, Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer said: ‘He is probably the best player who has ever played rugby.’
The way McCaw is going, few would argue with that glowing accolade.
