McCaw deflects award praise to Carter
Double Rugby World Cup-winning captain Richie McCaw says receiving World Rugby’s player of the decade award is humbling and a privilege but says one of his old team-mates ‘‘must have been pretty close’’ to beating him to the award.
The All Blacks great was voted men’s XVs player of the decade (2010-19) as voted by fans, heading off a cast of stars including fellow New Zealanders Dan Carter, Brodie Retallick, Kieran Read and Beauden Barrett.
‘‘When you look at the calibre of players throughout that period, it is very humbling,’’ McCaw told Newstalk ZB.
Carter (twice), Barrett (twice), Retallick and Read were all worthy winners of World Rugby’s player of the year during the decade, and McCaw suggested a case could have been made for all of them to take his award.
‘‘My old mate Dan Carter – there is no doubt he must have been pretty close. I was lucky in my time playing for the All Blacks having a guy like that as a No 10 who directs things ... pretty lucky to have him in my team which helped for a lot of success,’’ McCaw told Newstalk ZB.
The former All Blacks captain and openside flanker paid tribute to all his All Blacks team-mates and saw the award as a collective effort as much as it was an individual accolade.
‘‘It is quite hard to pick who was better or what. It is all a bit subjective, isn’t it? But I think always when you get an award like this, you realise you can’t get it without having a good bunch of people around you.’’
McCaw played 68 of his 148 test matches for the All Blacks between 2010 and 2019 – he was captain for all but one, against Namibia at the 2015 Rugby World Cup – with a record of 61 wins, two draws and five losses.
Black Ferns star Portia Woodman was awarded the women’s sevens player of the decade.