What do you give the man who has won everything? Another World Cup would do for Richie McCaw, whose ambition and enthusiasm for the game have not been dulled by age or success. At 34 and armed with more caps than any other player, the New Zealand captain remains as focused and competitive – and humble – as he was when he made his debut against Ireland at Lansdowne Road 14 years ago.
McCaw’s selection by John Mitchell after one season with Canterbury in the National Provincial Championship (which they won) was criticised by Josh Kronfeld, the forward who had worn the No7 jersey for the All Blacks the previous year. “It is bloody incredible to pick a guy after one season,” he said. “You might just as well give All Black jerseys to everybody.”
McCaw was named the man of the match against Ireland, immediately showing he was not everybody or anybody, but an openside flanker, and player, unlike any other. Fast forward 12 years and the South Africa coach Heyneke Meyer could be heard saying that McCaw was the greatest player the game had seen.
“The secret to a long career is to keep wanting to learn,” McCaw says. “I have always looked to get better. Playing well, not to mention leading well, has become an addiction and there has been a bit of luck along the way. I have had some exciting times with the team and good memories and I still want to be there.
“As an old fellow, I do not want to look back and think ‘what if’. I sometimes feel my age, but at this stage of my career it is all about mental attitude. Some guys get into their 30s and use it as an excuse: ‘I am getting older so I can’t keep up.’ If you tell yourself that your body will act that way. If you don’t, you can be better than everyone else, as long as you do not get injuries. I can get around like always, I feel as fit as I have ever been and just as excited. If you start looking back because you have played for a long time you take your eyes off what is coming. I am doing everything I can to perform in the next game.
“There will be plenty of time when I have retired to reflect on my career. I would hate to get to the end and feel the last few games were a let down. I want to make them the best. If you do not maintain that attitude of trying to get better it will not just affect you personally, but the team. A Sam Cane will slide past you. If the desire is not there, then do something else. I have always loved a challenge.”
McCaw has won 142 caps, the last against Australia a month ago when the statistics showed that he was the most influential forward despite being, until the arrival of Keven Mealamu from the bench in the 67th minute, the oldest player. McCaw does not look to hit every ruck or force a turnover at each breakdown, his skill is knowing when to strike and as a player who has adapted seamlessly to changes in the laws at the tackle area and constant directives he is quick to recognise the tolerance thresholds of referees. He has been accused over the years of bending the rules, but has long stood out from his peers through instinct and his acute sense of what can get away with.
“When I look at the other sevens in this tournament, they are all capable of making an impact,” says McCaw. “Each game is different. When we played Australia this year in Sydney, they fielded David Pocock and Michael Hooper in their back row and we did not deal with it at all well. They made it very difficult for us and we did not react. A week later, there was only one of them and we did much better at the breakdown. For me, it has always been about doing a job and building on what the big boys in front of you do.”
While McCaw had long been feted by colleagues and opponents alike, England’s Chris Robshaw, another captain on the openside, is disrespected in his own land with former internationals seeming to queue up this summer to proclaim that the Harlequin is not among the leading sevens in England, never mind the world. “Robshaw may be in a different mould to Pocock, for example, but he does what England need,” says McCaw. “He is their leader and a player I hugely respect. He is right for their team and that is what it is all about.”
A common theme since New Zealand arrived in London is that they do not talk themselves up or opponents down. They have led the world rankings for as long as most can remember and be the holders of the Webb Ellis Cup, but they are portraying themselves as equals having learned, the painful way, that what counts in the tournament is not being the best in the world but the best in the World Cup.
“We have not come to defend the trophy. Arriving here means we are no longer the holders and we just want to win it, like everyone else,” says McCaw. “Other teams will be in good shape and so are we. We are a good side, but what we have achieved means nothing. It is all about what we do in the next few weeks and we have to make sure it counts. What is unique about a World Cup is that the best teams know that it does not guarantee you anything.
“The lesson we had in 2007 [when they were defeated by France in the quarter-finals] helped us a lot four years later when we focused on each game in turn, never getting ahead of ourselves and thinking about who we will be playing down the line. A lot came out of defeat. At the moment the rest of the campaign means nothing. It is all about our first game against Argentina. You will always get disruptions such as injuries – we lost Dan Carter during the group stage and two more outside-halves before the final ended – and what matters is how you handle them. Wales have lost some important players before the start of the tournament, giving others have an opportunity to take. You have to move on.”
McCaw, who has won 10 Rugby Championships/Tri-Nations, four Super 15 titles and the World Cup, has lost to four international teams: Australia (six times), South Africa (six), England (twice) and France in 2007, making 15 defeats, one for every year he has been a Test player.
“England as hosts are going to be right up there,” he says. “Their big games will all be at Twickenham and I have a high regard for what they do. You can use playing at home as an advantage or you can let it get on top of you. We have played at Twickenham a few times since the last World Cup and it was always tough. We have more experience than them, but that only counts if you use it well. If you turn up thinking it will be all right because you have been around for a while, you will fall into a trap.”
McCaw is expected to retire after the World Cup, two months shy of his 35th birthday and four years after he lifted the trophy at Eden Park having played through the knockout stage virtually on one foot after a screw inserted to repair a metatarsal collapsed during the group victory over France, causing another fracture. It highlighted the single-mindedness of someone who has played for one province, Canterbury, and one Super Rugby franchise, the Crusaders, despite lucrative offers to move abroad.
“I have not made any decision about my future after the World Cup, a tournament that has given me my worst day in the game and the best,” he says. “I will get to the end of it as if I will be carrying on. I do not want to make a decision. There are a few guys who will be moving on and they will leave a hole. If it turns out to be a big one then we will not have done a proper job in making sure there are players capable of filling in. With the culture we have, I am sure it will be fine.
“When I do retire, I will take some time away but the game has given me so much it would be nice to give something back. Whether that would involve coaching I do not know. It might frustrate the hell out of me, but at some point I would like to contribute in whatever way I could. I would quite like to do something else where you do not have the pressures of playing rugby, but I know I would miss it like mad. I have had a lot of fun and rugby has given me a lot, but I have had to work hard at it.”
“I worked hard” would be a modest epitaph to someone who, in rugby’s hall of fame, is a giant among giants.
Richie McCaw was speaking on behalf of AIG, the official insurance partner of New Zealand Rugby. AIG is bring fans closer to the haka – take the challenge at AIG.com/Haka360
