Monday Maul
Richie McCaw: The reluctant hero
Tom Hamilton
August 17, 2015
Hansen pays tribute to McCaw

Monday Maul looks at Richie McCaw's legacy, the Springboks fly-half conundrum and empty pubs in Twickenham.

The reluctant hero

"Richie didn't want it to be about individuals, he wanted the team to improve on our performance in Sydney," said Jerome Kaino in the aftermath of New Zealand's win over Australia at Eden Park on Saturday. Despite Dan Carter's finest performance in an All Blacks jersey for a fair old while, the match was always going to be about Richie McCaw.

As McCaw walked off the Eden Park turf for the final time, in his record-breaking 142nd appearance, the camera panned to All Blacks greats and knights Sir Colin Meads and Sir Brian Lochore who were sat applauding. McCaw's place is now assured on the pantheon of All Blacks greats, a knighthood will one day follow, but his is still a humble existence.

He is a wonderful dichotomy. In New Zealand the post of All Blacks captain sits alongside the country's Prime Minister in terms of exposure. You are public property. But the man himself craves a private life yet when he is the face of their new 'all black boots' and is one of the players of his generation, the chances of him walking down Auckland's Queen Street incognito are non-existent.

Books have been written about the All Blacks and why they are so successful. "We are the most dominant team in the history of the world," was the statement a Daily Telegraph reporter saw when he walked uninvited into their team room in 2013. Theirs is an existence which thrives off legacy, culture and a relentless pursuit of excellence.

A fan shows support for Richie McCaw © Getty Images
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New Zealand 41-13 Australia (Australia only)
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In Roland Barthes' Mythologies, he talks of semiology. His theory relates around how humans instinctively interpret signs and act or feel accordingly. So in the example of a 'Stop' sign on the road: the marrying of the object and the meaning of it tells you to press on the car's brake, the semiology. The All Blacks are full of these signs: the haka, their new boots, the white fern.

McCaw also features here. As long as he is walking, pushing the boundaries of rugby's law book then there is a feeling among the supporters that everything is fine in the All Black universe. Even down to his hair. It hasn't changed since he made his debut back in 2001 - see that bouffant bouncing around on the field and New Zealanders can sleep soundly.

But Saturday will be the last time the New Zealanders see him on home turf. They will have to find a new man to take his place in their semiology. The end of the World Cup will signal a changing of the guard with Conrad Smith, Carter, McCaw, Tony Woodcock, Ma'a Nonu and Keven Mealamu unlikely to play for the All Blacks again in home surroundings. The team will have to metamorphose and go again.

"It was quite special running on for him and the standing ovation he got, he fully deserved it and I can't say enough about the man," Kaino said. "As a captain I think he does a lot of work above what he should be doing... the influence he has on this team is going to be missed in the years ahead.

"The legacy he's left for the players is going to be around for a while. He's set a standard for the captains ahead."

For McCaw, his focus will switch to the World Cup but Saturday's match against Australia did feel like the beginning of the end of his course. When he finally hits his last ruck in the famous shirt, he can reminisce on a remarkable career. But don't expect him to enjoy the spotlight.

Pat Lambie nails his colours to the mast

The Springboks will hope their defeat at home to Argentina was the nadir and their win in Buenos Aires was the first buds of recovery. Central to this was the performance of Pat Lambie. With Handre Pollard struggling for form and confidence, Lambie took on the fly-half mantle with aplomb and played superbly. His showing will give Heyneke Meyer a conundrum. The Boks do not have another match before their World Cup opener and he will have to use his own gut instinct to decide whether to keep the faith with Pollard, someone he has backed frequently in recent times, or go with Lambie off the back of Saturday's performance.

The Twickenham ghost town

In the second-half of England's match against France, during a break in play the stadium's PA made an announcement. Unless you had made a booking at a pub or restaurant in Twickenham, they would be shut at 10pm - roughly four minutes after full-time at HQ. However, he continued, the good news is the bars at the stadium will be open until 11pm. Boos morphed into cheers but the announcement has been met with a backlash from Twickenham's publicans.

"I am very annoyed," Jonathon Swaine, the managing director of Fuller's Inns, told The Times. "Pub operators never agreed to that or suggested that. We were planning to open our doors to everyone. It seems quite Orwellian to say you will not go to the pub for a drink. It is not happening in Cardiff or other cities that are hosting World Cup matches. Why should it happen in Twickenham?"

© Tom Hamilton

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