SA teams “target” McCaw
23 Apr 2006
Crusaders captain Richie McCaw will probably not play against the Stormers at Newlands on Saturday, because of the way South African sides treat the flanker.
This is according to assistant coach Vern Cotter, who said that South Africans tend to target the flanker, and the Crusaders would like to deprive the Stormers of that opportunity.
McCaw came away battered from their draw with the Western Force on Friday, leaving the field with a cut above his eye.
The skipper admitted his side was fortunate to have left Perth with a 23-all draw. “We were a little lucky I guess to come away with two points,” he said. “We knew the Force wouldn’t be easy but we didn’t have quite the intensity we needed. This is Super 14 rugby and you have got to turn up 100% or you finish second.”
Lock Ross Filipo is also in doubt for the clash in Cape Town after he suffered a groin strain on Friday. Filipo left the field early in the second half and will be assessed midweek.
Fellow lock Kevin O’Neill suffered a cut above the eyes but is expected to return this week.
33 Comments
23 Apr 2006, 16:44 pm
McCaw is chicken ****! …or a Dragon
23 Apr 2006, 17:07 pm
dont know about target, he is a great player, the run-in with Bands was a freak accident.
23 Apr 2006, 18:11 pm
Sounds a bit unlikely they’d go without their captain and such a key player against the Stormers. It’s not as though they’re playing the Bulls.
Pity if we miss him.
23 Apr 2006, 19:40 pm
chicken nuggets McCaw
23 Apr 2006, 20:27 pm
Please.
Why waiste McCaw against the Poofters.
23 Apr 2006, 20:59 pm
jondood, normally you give intelligent comments! Takes one to recognise one.
23 Apr 2006, 21:10 pm
I think the presence of McCaw is not the only worry on the mind of the Stormers’ coaching staff. This game may turn into a massacre, with or without McCaw.
23 Apr 2006, 22:47 pm
You have to give it to the Kiwi’s and the Aussies …
They are natural born spin doctors … we lap up everything … next thing our ever enduring SA guilt complex will have us treating him with tenter hooks and still apologising … brilliant.
ha
23 Apr 2006, 22:49 pm
Look how they take him off whenever they feel like it.
He sets the pace and his team folows it home while he watches from the side.
23 Apr 2006, 23:17 pm
the Crusaders aren’t the same team without McCaw. has he gone soft or what.
23 Apr 2006, 23:28 pm
His own people target him…who’s the New Zealander/Pacific Islander that almost killed hime in a head lock? Also didn’t Ali Willaims do him harm…..the reason for him not playing is a lie…he is merely being rested!
24 Apr 2006, 00:21 am
mccaw missed a game not too far back. it seems a bit strange that mccaw is to be rested twice, unless it has come from mr henry that he wants a particular player given a break.
if mccaw left the field early against the force, has it got something to do with a ‘headache’, repercussions of last years problems. i surely hope not.
target is an interesting word, because yes as an openside flanker you set a number of targets through the game, firstly the ball, and secondly your opposite number. is mccaw a bit shy of facing up to burger and luke…too many targets?
24 Apr 2006, 01:39 am
McCaw is a great player, but I do think he gets away with a lot at the breakdown. His ability to tackle is great, but he never releases the player, but instead holds onto him while using him as a platform to push himself up. I know it’s a technical point, but it’s a law of the game that he has to release the player before getting to his feet. Hence should be penalised.
And I think it would be wrong for the opposition teams not to target him. He’s slowly turning into a George Gregan and complains and talks to the ref way to much. Come the internationals, I think he’ll get a serious working over for lying all over the ball. Trouble is he’ll probably be protected by the ref.
And is it just me, or does it always sound like Murray Mexted wants to shag McCaw? He’s so in love with him that he’s lost sight of the rules. Actually to be fair, Murray doesn’t know the modern day rules.
24 Apr 2006, 04:13 am
Ritchie does not select the team.
Crusaders are through to the business of the Tournament—It’s called tactic’s.
24 Apr 2006, 05:15 am
Incleton
u are right mccaw does use the tackled player to get up. even at club and school level over here you can see it happening, young players see how the pros are doing it and try and do the same. the techniques of loosies change almost every season with the successful stuff staying and new stuff coming in. although mccaw really does get away with it a lot more than any other player. and then when he is finally penalised for it, and repeatedly penalised the refs are too chicken **** to card him.
mccaw aint no gregan, but he has ventured onto the same path by captaincy.
mexted is a prick, end of story.
24 Apr 2006, 08:09 am
Saders’s are top, Leo’o is good, this idea that the Saders do not play well without him is ridiculous, they may not play well, but the still get the win, and thats all that matters.
I would rest him or put him on the bench as insurance, no need to risk your best number 7 when the team is going ok.
24 Apr 2006, 09:01 am
Incleton, it’s the refs job to decide what a player can or can’t do. Great loose forwards like mccaw and smith play with this in mind and that is what makes them way better than most any other loosie
while this is frustrating when you support the team he’s playing against, it is very smart rugby
24 Apr 2006, 09:03 am
tsotsi
your comments are very true, the problem is the refs also falls for it. in 2 weeks time he will be playing the bulls, and any player who does something to richie will be penalized
and its not just him. SA teams are seen as dirty, though the other teams do excactly what we do. we get penalized for things they get away with
24 Apr 2006, 09:06 am
Also, given that Mr mexted is happily married to a former beauty queen who has retained her looks much better than you (or I) could ever hope to I very much doubt that he experiences any urges to ‘shag’ Richie Mccaw, so perhaps Incleton , it may be, quote, “just you” and an over active imagination.
24 Apr 2006, 09:19 am
ricane
mexted is a doos, even CSI said so the other day. Why do you have this urgent need to defend him? Is he your daddy? Or worse, are you Murray?
24 Apr 2006, 09:29 am
If i were murray, i wouldn’t have been able to condense my thoughts into one paragraph, and if I were his son I wouldn’t have got a word in
24 Apr 2006, 09:43 am
ricane
ha ha ha
24 Apr 2006, 10:40 am
Have we ever tried to strangle him to death?
24 Apr 2006, 10:41 am
Ricane,
Not just a beauty queen—-MISS UNIVERSE.
Forgotten her maiden name but Lorraine.
24 Apr 2006, 10:42 am
No Tony but “you” have tried to eat Sean Fitzpatrick.
24 Apr 2006, 11:08 am
and so he should sit out, the crusaders dont need to win the game.
So its a great opportunity to rest key players against weak opposition
24 Apr 2006, 11:11 am
Cane
Murray & Lorraine are divorced, have been for several years.
Some big conflict over mirror time I understand.
24 Apr 2006, 11:13 am
is this a rugby site or a divorce lawyers office.
24 Apr 2006, 11:15 am
gavin
Resting players like they did against the woeful force.
Yeah that’s likely to happen again!
24 Apr 2006, 11:18 am
True , but the force are getting better every game (thats why the cats are in kak this weekend) and the stormers are poor at home this year.
24 Apr 2006, 11:59 am
ha ha conflicts over mirror time, you wouldn’t think it by looking at murray’s mug.
24 Apr 2006, 18:56 pm
Great comments Incleton….Mexted would love to shag McCaw and McCaw does use the tackled player as a springboard up from the floor. He is so quick he would make a marvelous diamond thief.
13 May 2006, 13:46 pm
McCaw a dweeb…
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