Atrás
All Blacks legend Richie McCaw has revealed the rugby superstar who made him look silly, with fellow New Zealand great Dan Carter also sharing his memories of the game's biggest names.
McCaw won two Rugby World Cups, earned 148 caps and spent more than a decade playing alongside and against some of the finest players in history.
But even the legendary flanker admitted there were times when he was left helpless.
Speaking alongside Carter, McCaw recalled encounters with several rugby icons, including England hero Jonny Wilkinson and Springboks powerhouse Schalk Burger.
The pair discussed some of the toughest players they encountered, offering insights into what made them so difficult to stop.
Here are five rugby legends praised by McCaw and Carter, ranked by RUCK.
The former France captain was a constant problem for New Zealand.
Dusautoir famously helped France knock the All Blacks out of the 2007 Rugby World Cup before producing another outstanding performance in the 2011 final.
McCaw remembered just how difficult he was to play against.
"He was always pretty big defensively and in the breakdown area. A menace," McCaw said.
The Frenchman was named World Rugby Player of the Year in 2011, despite his side narrowly losing the World Cup final 8-7.
Few players matched Burger's physicality during his international career.
The Springboks star was a fierce rival of McCaw and regularly made life difficult for Carter.
"He just kept going. He didn't stop," Carter recalled.
The former fly-half also joked about feeling like a marked man whenever he faced the South African.
"I kept looking at my All Black jersey wondering if I had a target," Carter added.
Burger was named World Rugby Player of the Year in 2004 and was also included in McCaw's dream rugby team.
England's 2003 World Cup hero received enormous praise from both All Blacks legends.
Carter spent much of his career being compared with Wilkinson, but he had nothing but admiration for his old rival.
"Jonny is probably the closest thing I've seen to the perfect rugby player," Carter said.
McCaw was equally complimentary.
"He'll go down as one of the greats of world rugby," McCaw added.
The pair's admiration for Wilkinson was also highlighted when Carter and McCaw discussed rugby's greatest number 10.
Wilkinson famously kicked England to World Cup glory in 2003 before enjoying further success with Toulon.
McCaw reserved some of his biggest praise for former Wallabies openside George Smith.
The pair enjoyed countless battles throughout their international careers, with Smith establishing himself as one of the finest breakdown specialists in rugby history.
"I've never seen a guy as gifted in all facets of the game," McCaw said.
Carter was equally impressed.
"I used to hate playing this guy because he was so bloody good," Carter added.
The two All Blacks legends previously agreed on Smith as their toughest opponent.
Smith earned 111 caps for Australia and won the John Eales Medal in 2002 and 2008.
Even Richie McCaw struggled to get the better of Jonah Lomu.
The legendary winger was already a global superstar when McCaw broke into the All Blacks squad in 2001.
Lomu had terrorised defenders at the 1995 World Cup, famously scoring four tries against England in the semi-final.
Standing 6ft 5in and weighing around 19 stone, he had the pace of a sprinter and the power of a forward.
McCaw grew up watching him. Suddenly, he was sharing a training pitch with him.
"When I first became an All Black he was in the team," McCaw recalled.
All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu during the 1999 Rugby World Cup. (Credit: IMAGO/PanoramiC by PsnewZ)
"To play alongside a guy you have watched as a young fella was pretty amazing."
Carter also discovered just how difficult Lomu was to tackle.
"He bowled me over about 5m when I tried to tackle him in one of my first games," Carter said.
Carter never got the chance to play alongside Lomu for the All Blacks, something he later admitted was a major regret.
Lomu finished his international career with 37 tries in 63 Tests and was inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame.
His impact went far beyond New Zealand. He helped turn rugby into a global sport and inspired a generation of players.
Even after McCaw became one of the greatest flankers in history, he never forgot what it was like trying to stop Lomu.
As the two-time World Cup-winning captain admitted:
"He made me look silly in training more than once."
Atrás
Top
| Declaración de privacidad Términos del servicio Contacto |
Refresca
|
All the best breaking news stories from Apex Scores Lite. Optimised for feature phones and low end Android devices, Apex Scores Lite helps users with legacy devices and poor network connectivity access the latest football news and live scores. Particularly relevant for breaking football news in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.