Major teams: Crusaders, Canterbury
Country: New Zealand
Test span: 2001-15
Test caps: 148 (141 starts)
Test points: 135 (27T)
Rugby’s Greatest: Richie McCaw
Even before he’d made a national age-grade team, Richie McCaw believed he was going to the top. Encouraged by an uncle whilst waiting for food to arrive in a McDonald’s, the teenage McCaw wrote down a list of rugby goals on a napkin. He was to achieve them all, including becoming an All Black three years ahead of schedule in 2001.
It’s strange now to think that his debut in Dublin, aged 20, on an autumn tour caused a furore because McCaw had only played 17 first-class games at the time. The young openside was named Man of the Match that day and went on to break a host of Test records: the most capped player (148), most caps as captain (110) and most Test tries for a flanker (27).
Of the All Blacks‘ 416 Test victories from 1903 until the time of his retirement in 2015, McCaw was on the field for 131 (32%) of them.
Lockdown training: McCaw and his wife Gemma in their backyard in Christchurch this month (Getty)
It’s impossible to overstate McCaw’s influence on the past decade and more. An arch turnover merchant with the knack of staying on the right side of referees, he also raised the bar in terms of tackle rate, clearing rucks and carrying ball.
His endurance levels were remarkable and his refusal to yield to a foot fracture at RWC 2011 – sustained before the knockout stage even began – was heroic.
“He can hardly walk and how he played today I just don’t know,” said Graham Henry after New Zealand beat France 8-7 in the 2011 World Cup final. “That he got through it was down to his heart and determination. He’s the best leader this country has ever had.”
New Zealand Rugby World Cup Fixtures, Squad, Group, Guide
Winners of the past two World Cups, the…
Rugby’s Greatest: Sean Fitzpatrick
All Black Sean Fitzpatrick epitomised the rugged hardness…
Rugby’s Greatest: Dan Carter
Pound for pound, New Zealand's Dan Carter is…
A three-time World Rugby Player of the Year, McCaw followed that by lifting the Webb Ellis Cup again in his final match, the defeat of Australia at RWC 2015.
McCaw‘s win percentage across his Test career was 89%. In the same time span for NZ matches he missed, that figure dropped to 68%. He lost just twice in 61 Tests on home soil and his 37 appearances against Australia remains a record for a player against a single opponent.
His accomplishments haven’t been the sole preserve of the sports field for he has made a habit of excelling at everything he tries. He once scored 99.4% in a maths exam at Otago Boys High School and other activities include playing the bagpipes and piloting gliders – flying a wave at 20,000 feet is one of his greatest pleasures.
For a player who soared above the rest, it’s only fitting that he now flies helicopters for a living in his capacity as an owner/director of Christchurch Helicopters.
It will be a long time before we see his like again.