The Greatest: openside flanker
There have been many great opensides down the years, but when it came down to the vote, one stood way ahead of the others.
There have been many great opensides down the years, but when it came down to the vote, one stood way ahead of the others.
Richard Hugh “Richie” McCaw was born on 31 December in 1980 in Oamaru, North Otago and educated at Otago Boys High, where he played his rugby at number eight.
He has won countless Player of the Year awards since breaking into the Canterbury and Crusaders sides via a studying stint at Lincoln University in Christchurch. The following list of honours speaks for itself:
– Air New Zealand NPC Division One Player of the Year, 2004 & 2002
– Kelvin Tremain Memorial Trophy for Player of the Year, 2003, 2006
– U21 Player of the Year, 2001
– Scored the All Blacks' first two tries of Rugby World Cup 2007, against Italy at Marseille.
– Received the 2006 IRB and NZRU Player of the Year Awards.
– Was the only All Blacks player to play in all seven of the team's winter Tests in 2007 and the only All Black to start in 12 Tests in 2006.
– The fastest player ever to reach 50 Test wins.
– Is the 60th All Blacks Test captain. Named as All Blacks captain for the first time against Wales in 2004 at the age of just 23.
– IRB Newcomer of the Year Award in 2001.
He has been captain of teams at every level. McCaw led Canterbury to the NPC title in 2004 and then took the Crusaders to back-to-back Super 14 titles in 2005 and 2006 before assuming command of the national team. In 2008, the Crusaders were once again victorious under McCaw's command.
McCaw was named as All Blacks captain for the first time for the Test against Wales in 2004 aged just 23. He led the side in 12 Tests in 2006.
New Zealand's most prized asset has carved out a formidable reputation as arguably the best openside flanker in the world since emerging onto the international stage. A master of the breakdown area – rarely getting on the wrong side of the referee but always on the nerves of opposition fans – McCaw possesses the size and strength to be a formidable defender whilst displaying the speed and handling skills to excel in the loose. Added to great game-awareness and leadership prowess, McCaw is a complete player.
The modest McCaw is closing in on the mark of former captain Sir Wilson Whineray in the ranks with Sean Fitzpatrick the only other player to have led the All Blacks into more Test encounters.
With the prospect of McCaw joining the wave of New Zealanders moving overseas, the New Zealand Rugby Union signed their star player to a new contract in 2008 that secured his services through to the 2011 Rugby World Cup. McCaw's contract includes a sabbatical option allowing him the option to venture overseas but he insists he has no immediate plans to take it – very much bucking the trend of current New Zealanders.
At the end of the November 2008 tour, McCaw made his debut for the Barbarians in an 18-12 defeat to Australia at Wembley Stadium – leaving the World Cup as the only major Souther Hemisphere to elude him thus far, but few are betting it won't come his way in 2011.