Inherited with the rugged, independent, and brave genes and blood of the Kiwis, New Zealander Richard Hugh McCaw can be titled the greatest player of Rugby Football, the most spectator sport in New Zealand. Richard McCaw was a great Rugby player who captained the national team for two winning World Cups.
Family and Personal Life
Richard Hugh McCaw grew up in an ordinary family. His father, Donald McCaw, was an owner of a farm, while his mother, Margaret McCaw, was a teacher at Kurow. He was born in the scenic city of Oamaru on the 31st of December 1980 and schooled at Otago Boys’ High School. Richie McCaw attended the Lincoln University. He also had a sister named Joanna McCaw.
In January 2016, McCaw announced his engagement to the hockey player Gemma Flynna and eventually married in January 2017. Now they are accompanied by two daughters; the first named Charlotte, born in December 2018, and the second named Grace, who followed in May 2021.
Richie McCaw Family and Personal Life, Image via stuff
Childhood Inspiration
McCaw’s conversation with his uncle, in 1998 when he was 18 years, brought to life the spirit of a rugby player that lay within him. He was questioned by his uncle while waiting for the food to arrive at a McDonald’s whether he would want to become an All-Black. Already being a member of the rugby team in his school, McCaw had jotted down on a napkin for his uncle that he would first play for the under-19 New Zealand team in 1999, under-19 Canterbury in 2000, Colts in 2001, for the Canterbury A team in 2002 and the Crusaders team in 2003, and finally the All Blacks team in 2003. He dreamt not only of being just an All Backs rugby player but also a Great All-Black player.
Richie McCaw Childhood Inspiration, Image via worldinsport
Life as a Player in a gist
Although Richie wanted to play as the 8th player in the team, he was only capable of playing as the flanker or the 7th player of the team because he was not physically capable of playing as the 8th member. However, this did not stop him from displaying outstanding skills, especially at the 1998 New Zealand Secondary school matches between the Otago Boys’ High School and Rotorua Boys High School, bringing him the luck to achieve his plans put down on paper. Steve Hansen of the New Zealand Rugby Academy caught Richie McCaw and recruited him into the New Zealand Rugby Academy after McCaw left school. McCaw was immensely determined to improve himself as a player to the extent that he became the best know junior to be constantly looked up to by his seniors for improvement.
Owing to his outstanding performances, Richie McCaw achieved his dream of joining the New Zealand team as a rugby player even before the year he had jotted down in a paper for his uncle. He was talented at snatching and running with the ball during turnovers. He started playing for the All-Black teams in 2001 when he was just 21 years behind the Ireland team and was titled the man of the match. Richie McCaw became the leader of the All Blacks team in 2006 when he was 25 years old and began training under Graham Henry and Steve Hanson.
Richie McCaw, Image via stuff
Challenges at the Pitch
However, Richie McCaw has also experienced his downfalls. The All-Black team suffered a defeat in the 2007 World Rugby Matches against France. He had to suffer a backlash from the same media sources who brought him up. Nonetheless, he was not dismissed from his position as New Zealand preserved faith in him as a leader. Richie McCaw and the trainers of the New Zealand team started to analyze the matches to identify their shortcomings. It also equipped McCaw with the techniques of building the physical endurance and strength of the team members. By the end of two years, Richie McCaw was able to compose the world’s best test Rugby team from New Zealand.
Despite solid training and preparations, the team encountered several challenges in the 2011 Rugby World Cup Final. His peer Dan Carter missed the knockout stage due to a torn abductor injury, while McCaw tenaciously continued despite a foot fracture that made it difficult for him to walk. The final matches were against France, who had to suffer a defeat by New Zealand. Consequent years followed uninterrupted victories. The persistent endurance of Richie McCaw held the world in bewilderment even in 2014 when Richie played against England in a test match with a fractured hip bone.
Challenges at the Pitch, Image via thetimes
Achievements and Awards
The team Richie most disliked to be defeated got the opportunity to play against him. Aged 35 years, Richard and his team had to play in the 2015 World Cup Finals against Australia as Richie’s last test rugby match with a Victory over Australia. Richie McCaw played 148 matches, out of which 110 were matches under his leadership.
In the years that followed, he earned several titles and awards such as World Rugby Player of the Year, Test Rugby Player of Decade, and Test Rugby player of the Century. As the Prime Minister of New Zealand invited Richard in 2012 to accept the title of Knight, Richard refused such a title, stating that it was inappropriate to accept as an international player. Instead, he received the title of “Order of New Zealand” in 2016, the grandest title a New Zealand citizen could receive.
Richie McCaw Achievements and Awards, Image via quinzemondial