Richie McCaw

[nzlizard]

Was reading this article and it really is a testament to what he has achieved, doesn't cover much detail but what a record

https://nz.sports.yahoo.com/rugby/news/article/-/24292974/richie-mccaw-moves-past-soccer-record/

McCaw notched Test win No.113 when New Zealand put England to the sword in Hamilton on Saturday, comfortably more than anyone to play the game.

By doing so, he also inched ahead of the equivalent record in the world's biggest sport.

Spanish soccer goalkeeper Iker Casillas had won 112 international games coming into the World Cup in Brazil but has failed to add to them in two pool losses.

Put aside what people think about his style of play or tactics and admire the record for what it is.

He is currently 4th on the all time caps list and will be 3rd by end of year, if he plays through to the world cup he should be #1 barring injury.

 

[j-dawg]

Personally, I think you should ease him out now.

 

[goodNumber10]

I think the whole world thinks he should be eased out now

 

[HenryChinaski]

Not sure how he avoids more frequent sin binning to be honest.

There was one occasion on Saturday when his decision to come in from the side and prevent quick ball was just such that there was absolutely no grounds for defence. It would have been a yellow It had been 15 metres further up the field and I do wonder whether the referee should have been a bit more brazen in response. It would have been no more brazen a thing to do than mccaws decision to stop the phase dead by infringeing.

 

[goodNumber10]

Not sure how he avoids more frequent sin binning to be honest.

There was one occasion on Saturday when his decision to come in from the side and prevent quick ball was just such that there was absolutely no grounds for defence. It would have been a yellow It had been 15 metres further up the field and I do wonder whether the referee should have been a bit more brazen in response. It would have been no more brazen a thing to do than mccaws decision to stop the phase dead by infringeing.

He avoids it by actually listening to the ref - when they tell him to stop he stops.

 

[squirrel]

he does some pretty cynical penalties does McCaw and the refs will just give him endless warnings, still cant believe he was world player of the year in 2009 when he got trumped by Heinrich Brussouw in the tri nations and had a fairly average year over all

 

[nickdnz]

Well, McCaw did make the most number of tackles of any player on the field in that last test, at a higher success rate than either Robshaw or Wood who were second equal...

He's not the McCaw of old but I'd still rather take him than most opensides. That said I'd also like to see Cane, Todd and Luke Braid get a good run before the World Cup, while Ardie Savea would be interesting if he has a great Super Rugby season. I think this is more retrospectively appreciating his accomplishments...

I can't believe he wasn't world player of the year in 2008 when he won everything, including the NPC, Super Rugby, June Series, Tri Nations and a Grand Slam. But I guess I'm over it. In time Squirrel, I think the bitterness will dissipate.

 

[HenryChinaski]

He avoids it by actually listening to the ref - when they tell him to stop he stops.

Not true. The point is he does get penalised - he just somehow avoids being carded.

 

[nickdnz]

Not true. The point is he does get penalised - he just somehow avoids being carded.

I'm interested in your theory as to why that is. It seems he's particularly adept at following referees warnings, but I'm sure there is a more interesting and insidious theory behind it.

 

[Darwin]

I'm interested in your theory as to why that is. It seems he's particularly adept at following referees warnings, but I'm sure there is a more interesting and insidious theory behind it.

It is simple really. McCaw just uses his aura. Indeed he is often known as McAura.

 

[ratsapprentice]

In all seriousness - it's pretty clear that that is exactly what happens.

 

[goodNumber10]

Not true. The point is he does get penalised - he just somehow avoids being carded.

Of course he gets penalised, but he doesn't do persistent infringments, when a ref says that's enough he backs off.

His best asset is that he listens and then adjusts what he's doing to the referee. he talks about ti quite a lot in his biography - if you haven't then read it. He's a blo*ody boring man, but very driven.

 

[HenryChinaski]

I'm interested in your theory as to why that is. It seems he's particularly adept at following referees warnings, but I'm sure there is a more interesting and insidious theory behind it.

Don't be combatative. I don't believe there's anything of the arcane going on here. My only point would be that England received yellow cards for one-off offences on 3 separate occasions in this series. The only card you guys got was a 'Team card' towards the end of the game on saturday when it didn't make a blind bit of difference. I don't believe our discipline was as much worse, all told, than this stat suggests.

Richie Mccaw was the most penalised man on the field on saturday and on another day might have been binned. He only gave away 1 penalty in the previous game but there was an additional occasion where the referee said to him that he would have penalised him had there not already been something he was going back for.
All I'm saying is that the phrase 'on another day Mccaw might have been carded', occurs more frequently than the actual event of him being binned.

Don't take this for anything of an excuse for the difference between our two teams - you guys were a million miles ahead of us on saturday and to be fair, quite a lot farther away than the second test score would suggest.

 

[Kapa O Pango]

He will never be a Michael Jones.

 

[goodNumber10]

Don't be combatative. I don't believe there's anything of the arcane going on here. My only point would be that England received yellow cards for one-off offences on 3 separate occasions in this series. The only card you guys got was a 'Team card' towards the end of the game on saturday when it didn't make a blind bit of difference. I don't believe our discipline was as much worse, all told, than this stat suggests.

Richie Mccaw was the most penalised man on the field on saturday and on another day might have been binned. He only gave away 1 penalty in the previous game but there was an additional occasion where the referee said to him that he would have penalised him had there not already been something he was going back for.
All I'm saying is that the phrase 'on another day Mccaw might have been carded', occurs more frequently than the actual event of him being binned.

Don't take this for anything of an excuse for the difference between our two teams - you guys were a million miles ahead of us on saturday and to be fair, quite a lot farther away than the second test score would suggest.

can you flag up what you thought he should be carded for?

I can only recall two offences both in the first, killing the ball when read spills it on the first scrum and then coming in from the side for the 1st england points. What were the others? (I still need to go over the second half)

Neither of those were yellow card offences imho.

 

[William18]

The best example of an incident where we stuck to the law occurred against Australia in 2010 when we won 49-28.

- Early in the game, Drew Mitchell was erroneously given a yellow card for an off the ball tackle. @12:30 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9dYYYbIUt4U)
- Later, the All Blacks were marched 10 metres for not allowing Australia to take a quick tap. (from the start https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_p5cr8htu0)
- Rocky Elsom shouted at the referee (Joubert) who said he would watch it for the remainder of the game.
- @1:40 Australia do the same thing and are marched 10 metres. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_p5cr8htu0)
- Genia stops a quick tap from being taken @ 3:40 in the same video. Now Joubert gives a firm warning and says next time it will be yellow. Mitchell is still off the field. Richie can be seen giving a clear message to his team not to infringe any more, Elsom says nothing.
- at 14 minutes in the same video, Ashley-Cooper is bundled into touch and Mitchell prevents C.Smith from taking quick throw when it wasn't even on. Mitchell is given a second yellow card.

The lessons to take out of it were:

-Elsom was a poor captain who spoke disrespectfully to the referee and probably did not pass the message on to Mitchell who was off the field when the warning was given.
- Richie heard the message after his team were marched 10 earlier in the game and they never prevented quick taps again. He also spoke to the referee with respect.

 

[Jack Reacher]

Richie will probably be regarded as the greatest player of all time in a few years. Its always hard to judge a active player. For NZ I think he has surpassed Fitzpatrick, Lomu and Michael Jones. Colin Meads will always be regarded as the greatest and its impossible to compare generations but McCaws consistency at the very highest level is something Meads never achieved. I can only go by old reports and books but Meads was dropped a few times in his career and the Lions and the Boks used to get the better of us back then.
Yes, he is not the player he was but nobody in the world is better - Warburton, Hooper, Robshaw - no

 

[squirrel]

@William, I remember during that game kaino whacks the ball out of genia's hand as he's about to do a quick tap yet joubert was too in awe of the all blacks too even blow a penalty

 

[goodNumber10]

Richie will probably be regarded as the greatest player of all time in a few years. Its always hard to judge a active player. For NZ I think he has surpassed Fitzpatrick, Lomu and Michael Jones. Colin Meads will always be regarded as the greatest and its impossible to compare generations but McCaws consistency at the very highest level is something Meads never achieved. I can only go by old reports and books but Meads was dropped a few times in his career and the Lions and the Boks used to get the better of us back then.
Yes, he is not the player he was but nobody in the world is better - Warburton, Hooper, Robshaw - no

you might find this interesting: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/ru...s-side-as-England-impress-in-New-Zealand.html

 

[TRF_Olyy]

He will never be a Michael Jones.

Yet, in our hearts, he'll always be Michael McCaw.