What should Steve Hansen do?
New Zealand captain Richie McCaw should follow the advice of Crusaders coach Todd Blackadder and make the move from openside to blindside.
A lot has been said in the past week about McCaw's position and where he should continue his career. Although the man himself still wants to continue wearing his famous number seven jersey, time is catching up with him.
That, and the emergence of players like Sam Cane and Matt Todd, means he should make the switch to the other side of the scrum.
Cane impressed when he came off the replacements bench to make his debut against Ireland in the second Test in Christchurch, and was outstanding when he started at openside flank in the third Test in Hamilton.
All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said after that match that he believes Cane's performance proved that he's not a rival for McCaw, but rather the player who can extend his captain's career in the openside flanker's role.
This scenario has a familiar ring to it and reminds me of a situation which South Africa found themselves in at last year's World Cup when former Springbok coach Peter de Villiers opted to play his captain John Smit ahead of Bismarck du Plessis at hooker in his starting XV.
This after Du Plessis proved throughout last season that he was South Africa's best number two, and even a front row authority of the calibre of legendary All Blacks hooker Sean Fitzpatrick hailed him as the world's best in the position.
Hansen's comments about Cane extending McCaw's career suggests that he is either planning to perservere with McCaw as his first-choice openside flanker and with Cane as his back-up, or it could mean that Cane starts certain matches with McCaw playing off the bench.
With McCaw being the All Blacks captain the latter scenario is highly unlikely, and we could soon see a similar scenario to the Springboks' hooker situation of yesteryear developing.
McCaw played at number eight against Ireland in the final Test, but even the most die-hard All Blacks supporters will acknowledge that King Richie was not at his best against Ireland's Sean O'Brien in the first two Tests. While he might have edged out the Leinster openside flanker in the battle for the loose ball in the first Test in Auckland, he came off second best - by some distance - in the second international.
While an aging McCaw is still effective at the breakdowns, that Test in Christchurch showed that he no longer dominates that area as in previous seasons. And with younger players like O'Brien, Australia's David Pocock and Wales' Sam Warburton on the scene - don't expect McCaw to be competitive for much longer.
With Jerome Kaino no longer around I think it's a good idea for him to follow the lead of another legendary All Blacks loose forward, Michael Jones, who made the switch from openside to the blindside flank succesfully. This was partly due to the emergence of Josh Kronfeld as the All Blacks' preferred choice on the openside flank.
Jones added years to his game and his stature as one of the All Blacks greats was not diminished.
McCaw has already proved that he has the ability to play at blindside flank or number eight, for the Crusaders and the All Blacks, as a stop-gap measure. Maybe it's time for him to consider playing in the number six jersey on a permanent basis.
By David Skippers
Comments
porridge_time says...
Carphone...
McCaw is arguably the best player ever and the fact that you continually calling him a cheat merely highlights your ignorance of the game.
Posted 12:34 30th June 2012
carpelone says...
porridge_time
Cheat of the Match, that's what you meant, right?
Posted 12:49 29th June 2012
tweedledee49 says...
lets wait for the RC b4 we put McCaw to rest shall we?
lol. agree@ruckingkiwi, im pretty sure even Dusautoir didnt give a rat's behind that he was the man of the match in that final...@lacroix, but whatever man, if it makes happy to think about the man of the match award and boast about it then who am i to stop you....go ahead buddy boast away! :)
Posted 12:46 29th June 2012
atg77 says...
Please enlighten my ignorance, but does it really make any difference where he plays? The forwards all pretty much do the same thing except at scrums and lineouts.
Posted 12:43 29th June 2012
ruckingkiwi says...
lacroix, ha ha, I really really cannot think of anyone who played in that final who would care about the man of the match award.. all McCaw and every other player on that field cared about was who ended up holding the trophy. To any winner of a WC that would be better than a life time of man of the match awards.
Posted 10:02 29th June 2012
porridge_time says...
and he never will get to be man of the match in a RWC final LOL
Never say never... and I'm sure McCaw if he is fortunate enough to make all the way through to 2015 and play in another final... then I can't think of a better and more deserving player to achieve Man of the Match honours in his second world cup final success.
Posted 09:27 29th June 2012
Lankanallblack says...
Who are we to tell perhaps the "greatest Rugby player in the last decade" that is Richie McCaw where and how he should play? You can not judge a player just by one match in victory or one match in defeat. Sam Cane has only been in the shallow end.
Posted 08:23 29th June 2012
lacroix says...
'don't expect mccaw to be competitive much longer'
objective observers don't.
of course he's still a good player but there's better.
and he never will get to be man of the match in a RWC final LOL
Posted 07:46 29th June 2012
Rugbyyoda says...
Even if mcaw isn't at his best, the impact he has on the players around him makes him makes it a no brainer for him to remain captain of the all blacks. I see him staying at the top for some time yet, but time will tell. And is it foreigners that are the main group mocking mcaw? They are trying to convince themselves that they have seen the best of him. Absolute class player who will prove his critics undoubtedly!
Posted 02:35 29th June 2012
ruckingkiwi says...
At this point I would only consider moving McCaw to 6 because we're missing a real quality 6 at the moment, not because Cane is better at 7... yet. As someone else pointed out, the majority of steals happen in general play so it doesn't matter which number you have on your back. With the tackle law the way it is, the priority is to have ball running, ball playing loosies who hit rucks, make metres and can do things on attack.. onen dimensional guys like Pocock aren't so important, they can be easily negated by making them make the tackle and they offer nothing on attack... and anyway, the way the game is nowadays, every member 1-15 has the ability to make turnovers and quite often the backs turnover more ball than the 7. Until another 6 arrives in the mix I would like to see 6. McCaw, 7. Cane and 8. Read, depending on the opposition whether Messam, Vito or Thompson covers the bench.
Posted 01:32 29th June 2012
Dingbat32 says...
It doesnt really matter where you play him, he is the most effective player ever in Union, and should be on the pitch at all costs. Cant wait for him to retire!
Posted 22:04 28th June 2012
MacTavish says...
Media Spin. Even as a Kiwi I will say this. Come back and address this when Cane has a blinder against South Africa and Australia - not a shambolic Irish side who had nothing to offer.
Posted 20:44 28th June 2012
davodiablo says...
All this talk after a 1 good game for Cane in Hamilton and 1 bad game for McCaw in Chch.
Posted 16:40 28th June 2012
melkdave says...
The fact NZ have 2 promising young openside flankers in M.Todd and S.Cane ,i think means that king Richies days are nunbered for the ABs.After all in the end being the best didnt save Kronfelt ect New Zealand coaches dont have sentia mental hang ups ,when a better player comes around,he starts .Its part of the reason they have been number 1 for so long As for moving him to 6-8 again there are better players in those posistions who you would start with ,as an ulility covering the backrow then R.McCaw could still get into the future ABs side ,but as a starter not imho
Posted 14:30 28th June 2012
TotalRugbyRules says...
Let's not get carried away just yet - Cane seemed more prominent but the stats show the McCaw edged Cane in the Hamilton test (even taking into account McCaw played 10 min longer) as these statistics from the NZ Herald show -
"Sam Cane scored two tries to cap off a night that saw him top tackler for the All Blacks with 16 tackles and two assists, six ball carries for a gain of 35 metres, three offloads in the tackle, and he was in the first three to the breakdown on 24 occasions.
Regardless of what position he plays, Richie McCaw continues to power through the work. This week he was in the first three to the breakdown 31 times, made 15 tackles and 11 assists, nine ball carries for gain of 30 metres, took four lineout throws, and won two breakdown turnovers."
Posted 14:12 28th June 2012
markpat says...
@fattysock, in loose play, why does it concern you having Cane at 7, if McCaw is at 6? Pocock's steals don't normally come from 1st phase, he bides his time until players get isolated. By having McCaw and Cane, you ahve 2 players doing that.
Aus looked much better when they had both Pocock and Hooper on the field and I tihnk you'll see that more and more from Australia as they try and get their best 3 backrow on the park, rather than their best open and blindside specialists.
Posted 14:06 28th June 2012
bokbevok says...
No leave him there, at least they will have a weakness to play on. Seriously he must know his days are numbere, cane was monumental in last test. I can,t remember RC in last test due to the work rate of cane.
Move over.....
Posted 13:37 28th June 2012
quietbrit says...
The reality is that if not this season (and it probably won't be) at some point soon Matt Todd or Sam Cane or A.N. Other is going to become NZ #1 choice for the 7 jersey. This discussion feel premature but better now than the year before the WC...
McCaw is still one of the great players - he needs to look to his legacy - does he want to go out on a high like Martin Johnson or battle on like John Smit (Looking at the last two WC winning captains).
If he wants to carry on being part of a squad where he gets regular rotation will prolong his playing career at the top level, at AB level this would mean passing on the captains armband.
Posted 13:20 28th June 2012
fattysock says...
One average game does not make McCaw a spent force, just as 1 1/2 good games does not mean that Sam Cane is the best #7 in NZ.
Not yet.
When we play Australia in a few weeks, I will be more than happy to see McCaw at 7, Read at 8 and... uh... hmm.... not sure at 6 (Probably Vito, although all three candidates are pretty close I reckon).
While Cane played well, I'd be pretty nervous seeing him starting against Pocock just yet.
In saying that, I'd also have a problem with McCaw starting at 7 for every test for the next 3 years!
Posted 13:13 28th June 2012
Capedcrusader says...
Sound familiar???
How many No 7's didn't make the AB's because someone else was leaps & bounds ahead of them yet would be first on the team sheet for almost / probably all other international sides
Posted 13:04 28th June 2012