McCaw hailed before record match

Editor

New Zealand captain Richie McCaw has been praised by his coach Steve Hansen ahead of a record-breaking appearance this weekend.

New Zealand captain Richie McCaw has been praised by his coach Steve Hansen ahead of a record-breaking appearance this weekend.

McCaw will make his 134th appearance for the All Blacks in Johannesburg, the most ever for the side.

In doing so McCaw overtakes the record of 133 he previously held with the great Colin Meads.

“On behalf of myself and the team, I would like to congratulate Richie on the achievement,” said Hansen.

“He is a special player who has played each and every one of those games with a huge amount of commitment, passion and mental fortitude.

“This is reflected in his unwavering will to win and shown by the fact he has won an incredible 89 percent of all his matches.”

McCaw led New Zealand to their third consecutive Rugby Championship title last weekend in Argentina.