Richie McCaw retires! os sad to see a living legend go. What a man!

[Cruz_del_Sur]

I think his biggest quality was just how hard he worked, he wasn't as gifted or as skilled as a lot of the players he played with in NZ but he worked so much harder on the pitch and I can only assume it was the same off it, he was one of the hardest most tenacious men to ever step foot on a rugby pitch and the sport is much better for having him.

I see it differently. I never saw him as the most gifted nor the hardest working (not saying he wasn't gifted nor lazy!). I did see him as being incredibly smart. He could read both the game and the referee like very few people can/could.

 

[Shaggy]

I see it differently. I never saw him as the most gifted nor the hardest working (not saying he wasn't gifted nor lazy!). I did see him as being incredibly smart. He could read both the game and the referee like very few people can/could.

I agree that he did read the game and referee well, but I think he was also extremely goal oriented, and put in a lot of hard work off the field, to achieve those goals.

A lot of the team culture, what it means to be an All Black/what the expected behavior is, came down to the example that he and his leadership group set ... I'm hoping that those that remain will continue this, and bring the same success with the new players that will come in to fill the gaps

 

[The Jones Boy]

I see it differently. I never saw him as the most gifted nor the hardest working (not saying he wasn't gifted nor lazy!). I did see him as being incredibly smart. He could read both the game and the referee like very few people can/could.

Were you at the Argentina vs All Blacks game at Wembley for their pool encounter?
Richie spent 10 minutes in the bin, and in his 70 minute shift he worked harder than anybody else on the pitch who was there for 80 minutes. He was everywhere and an element few people pick up on is that he has a 'presence' on the field. His anticipation was second to none.
In the final he put in a shift that made Pocock and Hooper look lazy.
McCaw was everywhere against the Boks in the semi final.
He must be a stone cold nightmare to play against.
His speed underlined everything he did.
Some folk would say he's not quick and I would challenge them to wind back the tape because he was time after time in the middle of a try scoring move just after he has been from ruck to ruck to ruck.
His speed and anticipation around the park were a massive boost to the All Blacks getting turn over ball and getting 'quick ball' out to the backs.
His work rate was constantly incredible.
His defence was second to none.
His leadership was a bit shaky in the early years but like everything he learned and remembered and practiced and practiced until he got it damn near perfection.
Regarding referees Richie was very respectful on the park and the truth is any teams going forward tend to get the rub of the green.
I look at Stephen Moore and see his confrontational approach to the referees as being one that will never endear him to the whistle blowers.
Richie would ask questions but he would never overtly 'challenge' referees.
He would keep asking questions in a quiet way when issues kept happening and when it went against him he took it on the chin.

 

[smartcooky]

Were you at the Argentina vs All Blacks game at Wembley for their pool encounter?
Richie spent 10 minutes in the bin, and in his 70 minute shift he worked harder than anybody else on the pitch who was there for 80 minutes. He was everywhere and an element few people pick up on is that he has a 'presence' on the field. His anticipation was second to none.
In the final he put in a shift that made Pocock and Hooper look lazy.
McCaw was everywhere against the Boks in the semi final.
He must be a stone cold nightmare to play against.
His speed underlined everything he did.
Some folk would say he's not quick and I would challenge them to wind back the tape because he was time after time in the middle of a try scoring move just after he has been from ruck to ruck to ruck.
His speed and anticipation around the park were a massive boost to the All Blacks getting turn over ball and getting 'quick ball' out to the backs.
His work rate was constantly incredible.
His defence was second to none.
His leadership was a bit shaky in the early years but like everything he learned and remembered and practiced and practiced until he got it damn near perfection.
Regarding referees Richie was very respectful on the park and the truth is any teams going forward tend to get the rub of the green.
I look at Stephen Moore and see his confrontational approach to the referees as being one that will never endear him to the whistle blowers.
Richie would ask questions but he would never overtly 'challenge' referees.
He would keep asking questions in a quiet way when issues kept happening and when it went against him he took it on the chin.

Let me put that into some perspective for you (stats courtesy of Tracey Nelson the stats guru over at haka.co.nz)

This stat is the one that shows just how much a player works in getting to the breakdowns in play. The player gets one point for every time they are one of the first three players to arrive at the breakdown

POOL MATCH v Argentina

[TABLE="class: tablestyle_4"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TH]Player[/TH]
[TH="align: center"]Total[/TH]
[TH="align: center"]Per half[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1. McCaw[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]44[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]15+29[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2. Whitelock[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]32[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]12+20[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]3. Retallick[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]26[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]12+14[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]4. Franks[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]24[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]18+6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]5. Kaino[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]18[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]12+6[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]


QUARTERFINAL v France

[TABLE="class: tablestyle_4"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TH]Player[/TH]
[TH="align: center"]Total[/TH]
[TH="align: center"]Per half[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1. McCaw[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]30[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]19+11[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2. Whitelock[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]29[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]13+16[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]3. Retallick[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]28[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]18+10[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]4. O Franks[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]23[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]17+6[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]5. Read[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]18[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]15+3[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]


SEMIFINAL v South Africa

[TABLE="class: tablestyle_4"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TH]Player[/TH]
[TH="align: center"]Total[/TH]
[TH="align: center"]Per half[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1. McCaw[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]50[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]27+23[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2. Whitelock[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]42[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]23+19[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]3. O Franks[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]34[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]25+9[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]4. Read[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]27[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]17+10[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]5. Retallick[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]26[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]16+10[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]


FINAL v Australia

[TABLE="class: tablestyle_4"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TH]Player[/TH]
[TH="align: center"]Total[/TH]
[TH="align: center"]Per half[/TH]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]1. McCaw[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]46[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]25+21[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2. O Franks[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]27[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]20+7[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]3. Retallick[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]25[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]14+11[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]4. Whitelock[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]24[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]11+13[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]5. Read[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]21[/TD]
[TD="align: center"]12+9[/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

 

[sigesige00]

He said that he is still possible to play. If so, he should have played Rugby League at NZ Warriors...

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

Were you at the Argentina vs All Blacks game at Wembley for their pool encounter?

Actually, i was. Section A, upper left side of Argentina's first half side.
Not sure if one game is the right parameter to judge a player's entire career thou.

Richie spent 10 minutes in the bin, and in his 70 minute shift he worked harder than anybody else on the pitch who was there for 80 minutes. He was everywhere and an element few people pick up on is that he has a 'presence' on the field. His anticipation was second to none.
In the final he put in a shift that made Pocock and Hooper look lazy.
McCaw was everywhere against the Boks in the semi final.

You are confusing a couple of concepts here. You appear to be under the impression that "being everywhere" and work rate are the same. One can be a contributing factor of the other but they are not the same thing.
He is everywhere PRECISELY because he reads the game very well, not because his work rate is head and shoulders above others. He is a very smart player.
You even included the word "anticipation" in your answer, which is even more confusing. Reading the game better than rest (my previous post) allows you to be there first and therefore anticipate.
He doesn't get there earlier because he runs faster, but because, more often than not, he knows where the ball is going to go. That is reading the game, part of it.

And to be honest, stop jumping at people's jugular whenever anyone says anything about McCaw. What i wrote before was meant as a compliment.
You went on to explain things (the referee lines for instance) which screams "chip on shoulder". Again, i meant it as a compliment.

- - - Updated - - -

This stat is the one that shows just how much a player works in getting to the breakdowns in play. The player gets one point for every time they are one of the first three players to arrive at the breakdown

Getting there first doesn't mean "how much a player works". It's a mixture of that AND how smart he works. What sets him apart is that he is smarter, not that he works harder (my theory, granted).

And thanks for the stats, but i think showing them like that can be misleading. Given his position i'm not particularly surprised by the figures. I'm pretty sure most teams would have people in that position top their own teams' stats too. The interesting thing would be to compare other flankers with him, but in that case you would have to factor in they are facing different opponents.
I'm guessing most reliable stats would be the ones from the RC where all teams face each other.

Just my thoughts.

 

[Tony Manx]

Good answer and I agree! He does read the game brilliantly and at his age, he cannot be as fast as he was and must rely more on his experience to be in the right place!!

 

[The Jones Boy]

No Cruz, you are confused.
Being everywhere and work rate are out of the 'same' box.
You can't be everywhere if your work rate is low.
If your work rate is low you can't be everywhere.
McCaw has been everywhere AND making the tackles and stealing the ball and assisting in movements to get the ball wide or to run it up the middle.
Age has not been a factor, the stats don't lie.
As he got older he put more work in to maintain his speed and agility and flexibility like no other rugby player has done.
I was a skeptical of his ability to last the distance in this tournament because of age and earlier injuries but he proved us all wrong.
I was front row for the Argentina game and up in the stands for the France game.
McCaw has the best work rate in every game, nobody gets near him.
Experience and anticipation help that but his work rate is second to NONE.

 

[Cruz_del_Sur]

Reading comprehension 2/10.

No Cruz, you are confused.
Being everywhere and work rate are out of the 'same' box.
You can't be everywhere if your work rate is low.

... (not saying he wasn't gifted nor lazy!).

Note: the "!" should have been hint enough.

I don't really enjoy arguing with fundamentalists like you. You stick that head of yours in a bucket and read threads through a pinhole, meticulously searching for the word "McCaw". If the poster who dares to use such a word happens to be a nzer, you let it slide. If not, you go to extreme lengths to misunderstand and/or distort whatever he/she said, even when it was meant as a compliment.

Why don't we just ignore each other and avoid this? You add nothing to the conversation. I'll block you right away. I suggest you do the same.

Don't take this personally (i'm asking you to block me too!), i just don't see any point in discussing with someone who is immune to common sense, rational thought and logic.
Cheers

 

[The Jones Boy]

Hah Hah, thats exactly the kind of post that you see when people can't admit that they've got it wrong.

You stated that you never saw Richie McCaw as the most hard working.
You are wrong in spades and the stats provided show you that.
His work rate was phenomenal.

Gifted?
At his position no.7, I'd say his record shows his gifts.
He wasn't a Caucaunibuca who had all the natural gifts to make his name, McCaw worked at it relentlessly and tirelessly, much like his approach to playing a game. He honed himself to be the best in his era at no.7
He did have the highest work rate.
That helped to bring his gifts out on display.

 

[smartcooky]

You stated that you never saw Richie McCaw as the most hard working.
You are wrong in spades and the stats provided show you that.
His work rate was phenomenal.

A little birdie tells me that Ritchie consistently topped the metres run off the ball among the back five, i.e. the "Locks & Loosies", both in matches and in training (as measured by those little GPS trackers they have stitched into their jerseys.)

Its not surprising, since the All Blacks philosophy is that if you are walking you are not contributing enough, and if you are off your feet you aren't contributing anything at all. IF you follow All Black games closely enough you will hear Aaron Smith yelling at his players to "get up" or to "hurry up" when he thinks they are slacking off.,

 

[The Jones Boy]

A little birdie tells me that Ritchie consistently topped the metres run off the ball among the back five, i.e. the "Locks & Loosies", both in matches and in training (as measured by those little GPS trackers they have stitched into their jerseys.)

This comes as no surprise.
Watching him in the flesh at the games in the RWC it was abundantly obvious to the viewer in the stand that McCaw was everywhere.
His physical contribution was immense.
Hitting the breakdown early, making tackles, getting the ball out to the halfback or further out, he was the hardest working All Black I've ever seen.
I would argue safely that he was the hardest working rugby player I have ever seen, bar possibly Michael Jones (The Jones boy).
His work rate was second to none and it was made more effective that he has a finely tuned sense of anticipation and awareness.
In the semi final when the Springbok player getting up from the ruck contacted Richies hip as McCaw flashed passed, showed he was always thinking of how to get into the best position for the next phase. He was skirting around the rear of the dead ruck to get back into the defensive line on the other side and it was quicker to go around the back of the springbok side so thats what he did as the Bok forwards were still slowly getting off the ground. They tried to screw him for an elbow that never happened and keep him out of the final. What a nonsense. It was his hip and it was accidental, you can see McCaw watching the ball as he shoots passed.
Lesson for the Boks, get off the floor faster.Get into position quicker and hit more rucks harder.
Richie's work rate was second to none in the game.

 

[Bada-Bing!]

Looks like he's lost about 15kgs.