# | Quote |
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1 | [Talking about northern hemisphere rugby] The northern hemisphere game is a bit different, they tend to be a lot more physical in terms of throwing numbers in at once. You have to adapt as the game goes on, try to figure out what they are doing. In the Super 12 I felt like I was getting taken out of play and that got quite frustrating at times. But you just have to find ways to counter it. |
2 | [Talking about the 2005 Lions Tour] Rugby's not one on one: you can't just chase around after your opposite number. We need a collective approach and that's where the Lions work quite well. They seem to hit in numbers and that's where they can stuff your ball up. |
3 | [on the eye gouge incident] I got poked in the eye or something. I don't know if it was intentional ... It was pretty quick. When the final whistle went, I had no damage, it was fine. I am just happy we won. |
4 | [Talking about test rugby] The big thing is that you learn your lessons,the nature of Test rugby is that you have got to do everything as well as you can and that's what we didn't do last week. So hopefully we are better for it." |
5 | [on being unable to play rugby because of injury] At the time I was just hoping to get back because we were playing some pretty good rugby and I wanted to be part of it. But I feel pretty fresh and ready to get stuck into it. I guess there is always a wee silver lining in these things." |
# | Fact |
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1 | Has been bestowed the Freedom of the Waitaki District. |
2 | First All Black to play 100 Tests. |
3 | Has helped drive the Crusaders to Super Rugby championship titles in 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2008. |
4 | Became the first person to be named the Kelvin R Tremain Memorial player of the year for a third time, having previously won the award in 2003 and 2006. |
5 | The face of the New Zealand Rugby Union's Junior Recruitment campaign. |
6 | In 2006 he had to give a speech at a Parliamentary Reception. |
7 | In 2006 he was named All Blacks captain, he is the team's 60th Test captain. |
8 | In 2007 he was seeing professional dancer Hayley Holt. In June 2011, reports said that his girlfriend is New Zealand journalist Nicola Grigg. In 2012 he was seeing Black Sticks star Gemma Flynn. |
9 | After the 2010 Canterbury earthquake he auctioned a personal flying lesson through Trade Me to raise money for the badly damaged Hororata St Johns Church. |
10 | In September 2012 after the All Blacks v South African Test in Dunedin, current South African coach Heyneke Meyer said that McCaw was the greatest rugby player the world has ever seen. |
11 | McCaw's great-great-grandfather immigrated to New Zealand, from the Scottish Borders in 1893 and settled in the Hakataramea Valley, North Otago. |
12 | Can play the bagpipes. |
13 | More than a quarter of Kiwis surveyed named rugby star Richie McCaw as the celebrity they would most like to have lunch with, followed by broadcaster Paul Henry and supermodel Rachel Hunter. |
14 | Flying is in McCaw's DNA - his grandfather was a fighter pilot in World War II and his father, Don, is also a keen glider. |
15 | Has a record 21 wins over the Wallabies the biggest record by any player against any nation. |
16 | He has lost just four tests as skipper and only 10 times playing for the All Blacks. |
17 | In his last year at Otago Boys High, McCaw was head boy and runner up to the dux and played in the school's top rugby team. |
18 | His other sporting passion is flying and he has been made an honorary Squadron Leader in the Royal New Zealand Air Force. |
19 | Signed to stay on with the NZRU until the 2015 World Cup. |
20 | He has houses in the Christchurch suburbs of St Albans and Shirley, three in Omarama, plus a new holiday home in Wanaka. |
21 | He has directorships or shareholdings in 16 companies. |
22 | In the 2012 Mega Kiwi Sex Survey, McCaw was voted as the most desirable man by New Zealand women. |
23 | He is raising money for a young Samoan who broke his neck playing rugby and whose village was destroyed in the 2009 Tsunami. |
24 | Has his pilots license. He is also a keen glider and recently got his helicopters license as well. |
25 | In 2009 he convinced the head of the Discovery network in Australia and New Zealand to do a show about gliding. They filmed McCaw gliding at Omarama on the extreme sports series Sportstar Insider, which was hosted by former Australian rugby league player Andrew Ettingshausen. |
26 | He turned down a move to the UK, which would have more than doubled his salary, and instead signed on to captain the All Blacks for three more years. |
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