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McCaw reveals his secrets

Teh Mite

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Richie McCaw gave a frank account of how he plays the referees as well as the opposition to be a nuisance to his opponents.

McCaw has been albelled a 'cheat' pretty much since he forced his first turnover on the international stage, but he said on Thursday he knows just when to push and just when to stop when it comes to the boundaries of the laws and the interpretations.

"If you go in gun shy you're not going to have an impact," McCaw told media as he prepares to tackle Australia in Melbourne this weekend.

"I think the big thing is to understand where you sit and what you're going to get away with and what you're not.

"As long as you're not putting the team under heaps of pressure you've got to still be at the point of knowing what you can get away with and what you can't and the odd thing you might get wrong."

McCaw has been under increased scrutiny (when was he ever not) after the last Test against the Boks in Wellington, when he was warned three times by referee Alain Rolland but not yellow-carded.

South African fans were furious that McCaw appeared to have got away with murder, something McCaw said was simply not his problem.

"I think I gave away four penalties or it might have been five and there were a couple of them I was disappointed with."

"How do I say it? What I think is right and what he (the ref) thinks is right could be different so you've got to figure it out pretty quickly.

"I always think the things I'm trying to do are the right things and if he's penalising me for some reason I think 'geez I'm not going to get away with that today' or 'that's not going to work with this ref'.

"Each ref is a little bit different. I have a fairly good understanding of where they'll sit, just through experiences."

McCaw was also asked as to whether his position as captain affected the way referees handled him.

"I wouldn't have thought so. They pride themselves on making sure they call it the same way no matter who it is. There are times I get it the other way perhaps," continued McCaw.

"I do know what they are going to do and I always have a yarn in the shed before the game as to what they've seen previously or if they have got ay concerns. Hopefully they'll tell me if they think I'm getting it all wrong."
http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,16024_6284241,00.html
 
That just proves what a clever player he is. He quickly knows how far he can go and sticks there/ He is one of those players (as all good 7's are) that of he plays for you he is an amazing player and if he is against you hes a cheating gyet.
 
A very clever guy, Sa fans just frustrated as their team was playing bad.
 
McCaw doesn't cheat any more than Brussouw does, or George Smith did, or now Pocock.

The fact is that players like Mc Caw are only cheats if they are your opponent; if they are your team-mate, they're your best asset.

At least there is one thing that can be said for McCaw; he has never kicked, head-butted, eye-gouged, bitten, bag-snatched or blindside punched an opponent in his entire career!
 
Rough translation: He's the best 7 in the game with the best rugby mentality of the lot. Once he retires, he'll be remembered as the best there ever was.
 
They should make his middle name 'Possesion' because hes one of the reasons the All Blacks possesion is so high. Has a consistency in his form too throughout the years. Most opposition coaches want their flankers to do what Ritchie does at the same time they hate Ritchie for what he does.
 
So, what revelation is actually revealed? Richie is just the best 7s there is. Although Ed Fairhurst would blow him away when he also puts on the 7 jersey.
 
So, what revelation is actually revealed? Richie is just the best 7s there is. Although Ed Fairhurst would blow him away when he also puts on the 7 jersey.

Thats it!!!....Ive got to watch this guy (Ed Fairhurst) play
 
Yeah richie is the man....and to be honest its actually satisfying beingbranded a cheat when you are doing nothing wrong..it shows that the opposition dont know how to handle you ...richie is the most valuable asset that NZ have and without him I dont belive they could function very well
 
I watched how Nigel Owens dealt with him in the Bok test to win the 3N - ABs got pinged heavily at the breakdown in the first quarter, but very few problems after that. Mr McCaw is a class act, not just in fair play but in understanding the laws.
 

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