RECORD-BREAKING ALL BLACK McCAW IS THE ‘GREATEST’ — HANSEN

RICHIE McCAW will become the most-capped player in Test history this morning and, while the All Blacks captain (below) is reluctant to consider his place in rugby’s pantheon, others have rushed to acclaim him. The 34-year-old flanker’s sole focus is on recovering from last week’s defeat by Australia in Sydney by overcoming their great rivals in Auckland to preserve New Zealand’s 21-year unbeaten run at Eden Park and retain the Bledisloe Cup. And head coach Steve Hansen delivered a profound tribute as his skipper prepares to play his 142nd international — overtaking the record set by Ireland’s Brian O’Driscoll — and his last at home. ‘Richie came out of the blue in 2001 and he has gone on to be probably the greatest rugby player New Zealand has ever had — and maybe the greatest player of the modern era,’ said Hansen. ‘The thing that I admire about Richie is the quality of his performances every week. He is always well into the 90 per cents. To be able to do that is remarkable. ‘He is an extraordinary athlete. When he finishes and has time to reflect, he will be immensely proud of what he has achieved. ‘The irony is that he hasn’t spoken about it. That’s the way he likes it — and that’s the way we like it. He puts the team first and looks at it as another day at the office.’ That is certainly the case. McCaw has been far more preoccupied with making amends for a rare All Blacks defeat than considering the magnitude of the occasion on a personal level. ‘The one thing I haven’t allowed myself is to get caught up in all that,’ he said. ‘I’ve tried to go out and train as hard as I can, so that I can play well. ‘When you have a loss like last week, it makes you want to play even more. The key is to let it fuel you — the fact we’re coming off a poor performance.’