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Will New Zealand Skipper Richie McCaw Be a Dominant Force Again?
Published: August 7, 2013
Ask any international player of the last decade who they least liked to play against, and one name would regularly crop up—McCaw.
It’s not that McCaw is the most physically intimidating or the dirtiest of players in what is a hard sport, it’s just that everything he does he does supremely well; he sets a level of excellence that frustrates the opposition and almost always grinds them into defeat.
Add to that his well-documented ability to operate on the gain-line, often pushing the boundaries of offside, and you have a player who is rightly regarded as one of the finest of all time.
The 32-year-old reached the pinnacle of his sport in 2011 when he led the All Blacks to victory in their home World Cup, their first title since winning the inaugural event back in 1987.
The physical and mental pressure of that achievement took its toll on McCaw, and the openside flanker took a well-deserved six-month sabbatical.
Now he's back, and the question that remains to be answered is whether he can rediscover the form that saw him become the first player to notch 100 international victories.
To date, he has made just two brief appearances off the bench for his club Crusaders, and there is little doubt that he will lead the All Blacks in their Rugby Championship opener against Australia on August 17.
But his reintroduction will need to be carefully managed.
All Blacks selector Grant Fox told New Zealand’s LiveSport radio station that McCaw was extremely unlikely to play a full game, as reported by the Sydney Morning Herald.
We don't think he'll last 80 in Aust...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Rugby Union
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