McCaw: leading from the front

Richie McCaw.
Richie McCaw.
All hail to Richard Hugh McCaw, All Black captain an astounding and scarcely believable 100 times.

He reached the milestone at the weekend in the All Blacks' win over Wales in Cardiff.

Nations need heroes, and in Richie McCaw this country has one.

He combines magnificence as a rugby player with inspirational leadership and the quintessential (and much-admired) New Zealand qualities of quiet confidence coupled with self-deprecating humility.

In this, he follows in the footsteps of Everest climber Sir Edmund Hillary and double VC winner Charles Upham.

We esteem our champions even more when they appear modest. McCaw, at age 34, has already established a phenomenal legacy.

Many say he has passed Colin Meads as our best rugby player yet.

He has won the World Cup as captain, and in 2012 after a test in Dunedin the South African coach Heyneke Meyer said McCaw was the greatest player the world had seen.

But let us see how next year and another World Cup plays out - and let also a few post-retirement years pass on his brilliant career - before such judgements are made.

There are the occasional moments in a career where McCaw was not always number one. Born in Oamaru from a farming family in the Hakataramea Valley, he boarded at Otago Boys' High School.

There he was not only head boy but also runner-up to the dux, an indication of his strong intellect. But he was not captain of the First XV, the suggestion being there should be a limit to the responsibilities that could be heaped even on those strong and mature young shoulders.

As well, despite being noticed in the school's draw in the secondary schools rugby final, he failed to make the New Zealand Secondary School team.

Not that that stopped him powering on, making the All Blacks late in 2001 after starring for Canterbury.

All Black flanker Josh Kronfeld might rue the comment he made after this selection: ''You might as well just give All Black jerseys to everyone. The fact they picked guys off one NPC season is bloody incredible.''

As they say, the rest is history.

McCaw has had concussion scares, and was accused of being unable to change tactics in midstream in the quarterfinal loss to France in the 2007 World Cup.

Supposedly, too, just a few months ago he was washed up, before he again proved his worth.

Every few years, somehow, he has adapted to changing rules and interpretations, and every time he comes back just as potent.

His pre-eminent rugby moment was, of course, winning the World Cup final three years ago at Eden Park in Auckland.

What a boys' own moment that was as he rallied the troops and limped around the field with a broken foot.

What a way to add to the legend. As his coach Graham Henry said: ''He can hardly walk and how he played today I just don't know.''

McCaw was in successive years New Zealand sportsperson of the year at the Halberg awards.

He was International Rugby Board player of the year three times and turned down the possibility of a knighthood after the last World Cup, at least putting that off until after his playing days.

Add to that his good looks and the fact he flies gliders (taught by his grandfather, a World War 2 pilot) and is an honorary squadron leader for the Royal New Zealand Air Force, and it all seems almost too good to be true.

An expectation our top sportsmen and woman be role models for younger generations is impossible for many.

For McCaw that is no problem.

He combines his talent, skills and determination with thoughtfulness and tact.

He acknowledges the achievements of others and leads from the front.

It is little wonder that not just his fellow competitors but also the wider public at large hold him in such stratospheric regard.

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