Murray Kinsella reports from London
SO, THIS IS to be the end of the reign of Richie McCaw as King of New Zealand.
The 34-year-old is expected to retire following tomorrow’s World Cup final against Australia, but hasn’t confirmed any such plan on the record. McCaw has instead been intently focused on the job at hand, keen not to distract from the Kiwis’ preparations.
It’s always been the case over a Test career that will stand at 148 caps after tomorrow’s contest in Twickenham, and picking out games among that remarkable figure in which McCaw underperformed is an extremely difficult task.
There are McCaw haters everywhere expect in New Zealand, those who view the openside flanker as a cheat, a man who has lived offside throughout his career and has never been punished to the extent others have.
Like any good player, the Kiwi skipper pushes the boundaries intelligently but those who view him as only that have been missing out.
A grafter from his earliest rugby days in the Kurow club, through Otago Boys’ High School and into the famed Canterbury set-up, McCaw has consistently added layers of skill to his game.
The Oamaru native did seem to be born with an in-built turnover detector, a nose that picked up the scent of a pilfer quicker than any other, but that breakdown ability was honed through the same hard work that has underpinned everything else McCaw has offered New Zealand rugby.
Anyone who has read McCaw’s book, ‘The Open Side,’ will understand how much he has been driven by what he perceives as the ultimate privilege – wearing the most famous jersey in the game.
Ahead of his 148th cap for the Kiwis, that much has not wavered.
“When you are a young fella growing up playing rugby, you want to be an All Black, that is your dream,” said McCaw at Pennyhill Park yesterday.
“The first time, I never wanted the moment to finish. Every time since, I always take a moment during the week to realise how lucky I am to pull on the black jersey. Then, once you get past that, it’s about leaving something of yourself in there.
“That is what being an All Black requires – that you add to what has gone before. You don’t want to let it down. That is the attitude I’ve had. You don’t ever want to let it down.”
Paul O’Connell said much the same of wearing green in Tom English’s ‘No Borders: Playing Rugby for Ireland’. The legendary lock understood that he never owned his Ireland jersey, that he had to add to what had gone before and leave it in a better place.
There is a similarity between McCaw and O’Connell as leaders, both of them being so capable of inspiring teammates every time they play.
No captain has guided their team to more Test victories than McCaw. That is a reflection of the quality he has had around him since taking over the captaincy in 2006, but also speaks volumes of his ability to motivate teammates.
It wasn’t always plain sailing though, with the 2007 World Cup quarter-final defeat to France seeing McCaw’s leadership hammered.
“I think he’s probably the greatest player we’ve ever had play the game, certainly for New Zealand,” said his head coach Steve Hansen yesterday.
“As a leader, he copped a bit of flak in 2007. In my mind, leaders aren’t made, they are grown. You’re not born a leader, you learn through your experiences, and a lot of those experiences can be negative ones that you have to learn pretty sharply from.
“He copped a lot of flak in ’07, he’s grown through that adversity. He is now probably one of the great leaders of all time, to go with being a great player. And he’s a good bloke, so he’s got the trifecta.”
Those outside the All Blacks group can’t really judge McCaw as a bloke, but in the other two parts he certainly stands up to rigorous analysis.
Underrated as a ball carrier, McCaw has the strong handling skills that are a pre-requisite for any Kiwi international, is superb in using his body to influence the breakdown battle, tackles ferociously and contributes handsomely to the set-piece too.
His tactical decision-making on the pitch – what to do and when to do it – has been a key part of his leadership, as have the standards he sets in training on a daily basis. Where McCaw pushes himself, others follow.
McCaw’s presence tomorrow will be a comfort, even to the more experienced members of the New Zealand side. His CV includes lifting the last World Cup trophy, but the man himself feels it has little bearing other than bringing an awareness of what the Kiwis will have to produce in terms of work rate.
“The only thing you take out of being in a final before is you know how deep you have to dig to get across the line,” said McCaw. “At some point – and last week we had a bit of it – it comes down to making sure you’re working in the one or two moments that could be the difference.
“Saturday may be exactly that and that’s probably the one lesson we’ve taken out of World Cups gone by. All teams that have won have had to dig pretty deep and that’s what we know we’re going to have to do this week.”
You suspect that McCaw will be able to dig deeper than anyone.
