Known for his dominance in the No. 7 jersey, McCaw gave high praise to his Wallabies counterparts, reflecting on the intense rivalries and respect they now share in retirement.
“A guy like George Smith, I first played against him in Under 19s, and I didn’t know who he was, but I remember after the game thinking, ‘man, that guy knows what he’s doing,’” McCaw shared. “The next year, he was playing for the Brumbies and against the Lions a year later. He was a smart footballer, always in the right place and having a regular impact. We had some good battles over the years.”
McCaw also highlighted the contrasting styles of other Wallabies flankers, like Phil Waugh. “Phil was a bit more confrontational. You knew what you were going to get there. If you were a little slow to the first phase breakdown, he’d get in there and disrupt it,” McCaw said.
But McCaw reserved special mention for David Pocock, acknowledging him as one of the best breakdown operators of all time. “David Pocock was the best there’s been, and probably still is, in contesting the ball on the ground. If you gave him just a split second to get in there, he was almost impossible to move. We spent a lot of time working out how to limit his ability to influence those sort of things,” McCaw revealed.
Beyond the individual battles, McCaw also reflected on his respect for the great Wallabies players of his era. “That era from when I started through to maybe 2011, guys like Gregan, Larkham, George Smith, Stirling Mortlock—there was a huge amount of respect for how they played the game and carried themselves off the field. The games were tough, but both teams were positive in how they wanted to play.”
Now, as they’ve moved into retirement, McCaw fondly recalls the camaraderie that’s developed between former rivals. “When we meet up, there’s always a bit of banter about those games, but it comes through a lot of mutual respect.”
Although McCaw has been retired since the 2015 Rugby World Cup final, this weekend sees another classic tussle in the seven jersey when 98-cap All Black Sam Cane squares off with rising talent Fraser McReight in the first Bledisloe Cup Test of 2024.