McCaw the master
17 Oct 2011
MARK KEOHANE, in his weekly Business Day newspaper column, says Richie McCaw has earned the right to lift the Webb Ellis Cup.
McCaw was asked, 48 hours before the World Cup semi-final against Australia, who the better player was: ‘David Pocock or yourself?’
McCaw said: ‘We’ll see after 80 minutes on Sunday.’
There was no sarcasm in his answer. It was the confirmation of the challenge of a (younger) player who has been the form opensider of the World Cup tournament.
Pocock was immense against SA, legally or illegally.
All brilliant opensiders operate on the fine line of public opinion and referee interpretation. McCaw has been the master for the last decade. Australia’s George Smith was brilliant and, if his knees last, Heinrich Brüssow will make a similar impression.
Former Bok captain Corne Krige was often quoted as saying the Test played within a Test between two specialist opensiders is far removed from anything the public sees on TV or at the ground. McCaw versus Pocock was huge. This was the grand master against the next generation of specialist ball-winning scavenger. At least it was sold as such in the week.
But that would be too simple.
As All Blacks coach Graham Henry pointed out: an opensider will always be the beneficiary of how good the loose trio is and also the dominance of his tight five. In this regard it wasn’t McCaw versus Pocock, it was the All Blacks versus the Wallabies and the result was more emphatic than a handbag grab-and-run. This was a full-on assault; a legal beating in which the All Blacks smashed the Wallabies in the collision and at the gainline.
I hate the term ‘the modern game’, so I’ll refer to it as the game played in 2011 where there is so much influence in referee interpretation and not always that much faith in the principle and application of the law.
What is not about interpretation, however, is who wins the gainline battle. That is where the game has become so much like rugby league. Win the physical dominance of who takes the ball in, and who makes that one metre in the tackle, and you have momentum that is so unlike the game of 10 years ago.
Back then it was about creating mismatches and having a fullback run at a prop. It was about more numbers on attack, and the laws at the breakdown forced a fight for the ball that ensured teams committed numbers to the breakdown.
Not any more.
The game played in 2011 allows teams to have rugby- league type defence. Mismatches are rare because most props look like centres and some even have more skill.
This was a game won with gain-line dominance. The Boks’ game (against Australia in the quarterfinal) was a game lost in that area.
Lineout statistics, field position and possession dominance have little bearing if the gainline collisions are lost.
Wales will attest to that. Sure, they were heroic and magnificent in playing 14 against 15 in a World Cup semi-final for 63 minutes but when you go 25 phases with the ball, don’t break a tackle, and can’t get an extra metre, then the credit has to go to the men dominating the collisions. France did that, even though they showed no such enthusiasm with the ball.
The All Blacks were so different in class and in ambition. Their defence was matched by an opening 20 minutes as good as you will see in a World Cup semi-final.
The All Blacks were brutal at every collision, and McCaw was either first with the tackle or the first man in support. He was colossal. I’ve tried, but there isn’t a superlative to do his performance justice. He has been functioning on desire, ambition and one leg at this tournament. The foot injury that kept him out of most of Super Rugby will require a further operation after the final. He has been imposing as a leader and as an ambassador for the game.
I often say we begrudge New Zealand more than we dislike McCaw because he isn’t one of ours. This is a guy who has won 90 of his 102 Tests, and 45 of them have been against Australia and SA . You had to be at Eden Park to appreciate his contribution fully.
Likewise his humility a minute from full time. To understand that one must remember the taunt directed at McCaw in the 2003 World Cup semi-final by Wallabies scrumhalf George Gregan as the All Blacks turned over the ball with a minute to go and the game lost. ‘Four more years,’ said Gregan.
With a minute to go at Eden Park on Sunday evening, referee Craig Joubert called a scrum, the crowd counted down the minute and the big screen focused on a McCaw and Wallabies scrumhalf Will Genia.
The New Zealand crowd chanted: ‘Four more years … four more years …’
‘What did he (Genia) say to you?’ asked a journalist at the press conference. ‘He said well done and I said thanks.’
No taunts of ‘four more years’.
‘It’s important we enjoy the win, get our feet back on the ground and respect the challenge of the French,’ added McCaw, whose most famous quote at this World Cup has been: ‘Every player has a World Cup moment … I’ve had two.’
New Zealand deserves this World Cup win and Richie McCaw deserves the appropriate World Cup moment.
He has earned it.
620 Comments
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17 Oct 2011, 16:33 pm
@Gunther(gunther)-421:
its amazing how some guys can be both the villian and the hero all in one.
did he steal money? yes or no?…yes…
did he ‘serve’ the game and does he have worthwhile knowledge which should count in his favour even though he’s a thief? yes or no?…yes
errrrrrrrrrm…..ok…..ja, no hey…ja, no…
17 Oct 2011, 16:35 pm
@ET.(ET.)-448:
Didn’t I tell you to feck off.
Huh?
Jou ma jou nie maniere geleer nie?????
Luister jy nie as ek praat nie?
17 Oct 2011, 16:35 pm
singlehandedly the fat boys greed and self worship handed over webb ellis…
morons
17 Oct 2011, 16:36 pm
@ET.(ET.)-448:
Feckoff.
Why don’t you ask Pops or Hurricane who they’d rather be interacting with on this site.
Huh?
17 Oct 2011, 16:38 pm
@ET.(ET.)-448:
“Your continuing distortions, half-truths, naked LIES fool only YOU and NO KIWI like poppa or Hurricane or more even.”
or more even. WTF?
You don’t make any sense, or even less.
17 Oct 2011, 16:38 pm
@Helen(Helen)-446: Hi Helen i see you been keeping some of the men on their toes as usual. Am gob smacked that there hasnt been a tribute to him, just to the foreign players, most probably waiting for a quiet time in the news then will say something to get hits.
17 Oct 2011, 16:39 pm
Transformation has more credibility in the tip of his little finger than you have in your whole half white half brown apology of a sad sack lyf.
17 Oct 2011, 16:40 pm
Am gatvol of these two-bit flea-bitten expat cowards blathering at us from fecking halfway around the fecking world.
17 Oct 2011, 16:40 pm
The nakedly exposed delinquent ‘yobos’ cannot counter on a single idea and truth.
They are reduced to the ploy of sticks and stones. Defenceless like their ‘Boks.
A meeting calls and saves you further embarrassments.
17 Oct 2011, 16:41 pm
what do we know about this ET fella?
he sounds like he’s been pic-nicking on the lawns of a nuclear facility.
17 Oct 2011, 16:43 pm
@ET.(ET.)-459:
Thank goodness.
I could not bear any more embarrassment.
I was sharpening the blades and cleaning my wrists for a while there
17 Oct 2011, 16:43 pm
@ET.(ET.)-448: yeah, it take fccking “guts” to support the All Blacks as a south african, bwahahahahaha
give me a break.
you see that is the thing with you ET, you’re so irrelevant and out of touch that you think typing words on blog makes you a revolutionary.
Mpundulu supports the All Blacks because his father who was born about 100km from where mine was born indoctrinated him into it, on the contrary my father taught me rugby, made me aware of the injustice but never transfered loathing towards the Springbok.
i am a South African, no more no less than Mpundulu, i recognise the genesis of his support and it does not bother me one bit.
17 Oct 2011, 16:43 pm
@ET.(ET.)-459:
Oh how veryfuckingconvenient.
A meeting.
17 Oct 2011, 16:44 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-449:
17 Oct 2011, 16:44 pm
I think even the kiwis here give extraball a wide berth.
They now a poisonous mushroom when they see one.
17 Oct 2011, 16:45 pm
@ET.(ET.)-459:
Your so-called “ideas ” have been effectively countered by David, Robzim, HG, Transformation, and whoever else has been the unfortunate recipient of your infested drivel.
17 Oct 2011, 16:45 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-457: this is not about “credibility” or any of that nonsense, i don’t blog here to come across as worthier than the next anonymous poster. my life is not that worthless.
17 Oct 2011, 16:46 pm
where is a k when you need one?
17 Oct 2011, 16:46 pm
@Treehugger(Treehugger)-456:
Agree.
A tribute to John Smit and even Victor would not be out of place.
17 Oct 2011, 16:46 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-467:
But you’re one of the “senior bloggers” here, Transformation!
17 Oct 2011, 16:47 pm
Fuckingfuckwit
17 Oct 2011, 16:47 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-467:
Don’t gimme a hard time you know what I’m trying to say
17 Oct 2011, 16:48 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-462: on the contrary my father taught me rugby, made me aware of the injustice but never transfered loathing towards the Springbok.
Your father sounds like a wise man.
17 Oct 2011, 16:51 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-463:
Meeting?
Must be the PMU
Public Masturbators Unite!
They get together once a week to decide on the venue of their next flashwank
Usually it is a laundromat or a library, but recently they’ve embarked on more risque venues like exhaust fitment centres and hairdressers.
17 Oct 2011, 16:52 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-470: mnxim, uqalile wena!
17 Oct 2011, 16:54 pm
@grant10(grant10)-453:
you’re joking right?
is this gonna be a 4 more years story?
why dont you rather give leadership and guidance in the way of positive steps that can and should be taken going forward?
17 Oct 2011, 16:54 pm
@Treehugger(Treehugger)-473:
The springbok had nothing to do with our suffering.
It was a mere symbol of oppression and the epitome of white triumphalism. It only kept blacks out of the game for the sake of their safety and to save the white guys embarrtassment in the locker rooms, no more.
17 Oct 2011, 16:56 pm
Why is a bra better than the All Blacks?
A bra has 2 cups!
Only 5 more days of telling that joke, so we better milk it for what it’s worth.
17 Oct 2011, 16:57 pm
My work here is done.
17 Oct 2011, 16:58 pm
I think all the bloggers on here are municipal workers.
Why else would this place turn into a Lebanese morgue at exactly 5pm?
17 Oct 2011, 16:59 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-470:
it’s true.
he is on the keo NEC.
provincial chairman for the Mandela Bay municapliteit.
17 Oct 2011, 16:59 pm
@Dawn(Dawn)-479:
Nice work Dawn.
we won’t forget your contrinutions when the awards ceremony come our way again.
17 Oct 2011, 17:02 pm
Spelling gone for ****.
That jeffrey may have been rolled a little tighter than I intended.
I was going to go for a swim but that may no longer be possible.
Maybe just a little lie down.
17 Oct 2011, 17:03 pm
@Treehugger(Treehugger)-473:
Your father worked for the PFP?
17 Oct 2011, 17:06 pm
@Gunther(gunther)-483:
Careful of saying on here that you’re going to lie down.
Langers might be listening and that is like a scented invitation with free coupons for him to log on again.
17 Oct 2011, 17:08 pm
@Gunther(gunther)-481: how did i figure you’d be here to reinforce that rubbish of a notion?
17 Oct 2011, 17:10 pm
@Great White Shark(Predawn)-484: Treehugger went to Waterford
17 Oct 2011, 17:12 pm
@Great White Shark(Predawn)-484: No man !!! i was quoting what what Transie said on his post, havent a clue what the PFP is.
@Gunther(gunther)-483:
You had a jeffrey lololololololololol, saw that in a movie, was hilarious.
17 Oct 2011, 17:14 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-487: For a while only, was taken out and then went to St Marks.
17 Oct 2011, 17:16 pm
@Treehugger(Treehugger)-488: gunther enjoys the Mpondo “transkei kush” Maevis brings when she goes home.
17 Oct 2011, 17:17 pm
@Treehugger(Treehugger)-489: ok, just joshing…i had girlfriends at Treverton and Epworth…
17 Oct 2011, 17:21 pm
going to hit the gym (no peter davies)
17 Oct 2011, 17:24 pm
@once more just take a break on the beach, dear springboks, once more…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-476: Only guidance I will give is the following bits of advice….the same advice I gave since early 2010….
1….make sure no one is bigger than the team….
2….Get a Management team that are cutting edge.
Never, ever and farken never again allow a Fat Boys Club and a Management team of Stooges to run the Boks….
The last 2 years have been a blight on our history…..I truly believe we could of / should of won this WC…..
But farken no….personal self seeking wallys and weak kneed management dictated otherwise….
I am slowly but surely getting more and more the moer in…..how stupid were we!!!!
17 Oct 2011, 17:24 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-490:
Actually I get mine from judah in greenmarket square. Tell him Gunther sent you otherwise he will rip you off.
Maevis disapproves even though she knows its organic and I’m supporting the local economy.
17 Oct 2011, 17:27 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-491:
Hey remember Treverton. Played rugby against them once way back in 1981.
17 Oct 2011, 17:28 pm
@Transformation(Transformation)-490: lucky Gunther
@Transformation(Transformation)-491:
so conservative, 
Ok have to start the dreaded deed…… cooking…. my turn….sigh.
17 Oct 2011, 17:49 pm
@Great White Shark(Predawn)-495: Girls School isnt it ?
17 Oct 2011, 18:24 pm
@WP Till I Die(WP-Forever)-470:
‘Senior blogger’ you say; I always knew that you bought into that concept
17 Oct 2011, 18:27 pm
Where’sthatfuckingtwat I aint done with him yet
17 Oct 2011, 18:28 pm
Grant, JdV’s forward pass, Fourie dropping the ball over the line etc etc has got nothing to do with Smit and Matfield being on the field. The Boks were the better side; it was a combo of the ref and their finishing which let them down. Enough with the idiotic and inane “fat boys club” already. There is a great nucleaus in place for the future.
It’s now a matter of who puts in their application for the post of head coach…
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