2007 RWC All Black: Richie McCaw
Richie McCaw was born in the Otago town of Oamaru on the 31st of December 1980. He has been described as the world’s best openside flanker with a cool head and quick hands. He made his test debut with the All Blacks against Ireland in Dublin in 2001. His career to date has seen him play in 55 All Black tests, scoring a total of 50 test points.
What is your favourite New Zealand location?
My favourite place in New Zealand is down in Central Otago, North Otago, and Omarama which is in the MacKenzie Basin. It’s got lakes, where I do a bit of water skiing and I also do a bit of flying and gliding there. I grew up down that way and I love getting there whenever I can. There aren’t a lot of people around and it’s a great place to get away from it all.
What do you like to do in your spare time?
My first love is flying. But I also enjoy a bit of fishing and water skiing. I’m always pretty keen on diving and fishing and love getting out into the Pacific and chasing around crayfish and cod.
How would you describe New Zealand to people overseas?
I think even as New Zealanders we don’t realise the beautiful scenery and what we’ve got in our own back yard. We have beautiful mountains, lakes and it’s green. It’s not crowded and you can go away and not see any houses or people for miles or you can be in a city within a very short space of time.
Why do you think New Zealand produces such great rugby players?
I think nowadays because it’s the number one sport in New Zealand, it’s one thing New Zealand can consistently say that we are one of the better teams in the world. New Zealanders are pretty strong, rugged people and rugby was a game we all wanted to play. In the earlier years when the guys got out in the field they were tough, hard men and that’s why they had success. It’s just carried on and you know if you want to be good at something rugby is usually high on the list.
What does the haka mean to you?
As a young fella that’s all I wanted to do, is do the haka. As an All Black now I’ve learned a lot more about it. The All Blacks have many cultures within the team, Maori, European, Fijian, Samoan; all sorts and the haka even though it’s a Maori tradition it’s a way of bringing all those cultures together and saying this is New Zealand, this is what we are about. For me the haka draws your team together and you draw strength from performing it. Everyone probably gets something different from it, but for me, it flicks a switch to say I’m ready to go.
What is your favourite food?
My favourite food would have to be a New Zealand lamb roast. I grew up on a farm and it was something we had fairly regularly. Only recently I’ve started to appreciate the world class wines we’re producing in New Zealand.
Where would you take someone on a first date in New Zealand?
I think I would take someone on a ride in a glider over the Southern Alps to see what a beautiful country we’ve got.
These topics may also be of interest to you
|
