Graham Henry praises All Blacks’ captain Richie McCaw on his 100th test captain milestone - Rugby News
The New Zealand national Rugby Union’s head coach, Graham Henry, has praised the All Blacks captain and their international flanker, Richie McCaw, ahead of his 100th test match appearance.
McCaw will play his 100th match for the All Blacks in their upcoming pool A encounter against France at Eden Park, Auckland on Saturday, September 24.
Henry paid tribute to McCaw on Friday, September 23, when he praised his personality and game playing skills. He added that “His steel, his bravery, his ability to lead from the front and by example, the respect the players have for him, makes him an excellent player.”
Henry has expressed his confidence that McCaw will do his best in Saturday’s game and to level the score with the Les Bleus for their 2007 RWC quarter-finals defeat. Henry added, “Let's hope he crowns that with something. He's probably 50 Test matches older (than 2007) and he's more experienced and there's no substitute for that.”
The Otago born McCaw is a professional New Zealand Rugby Union player. He made his professional rugby debut for New Zealand’s provincial Rugby Union side, Canterbury, in 1999. He made his Super Rugby debut for the Crusaders during the 2001 Super Rugby competition. He so far has played 110 Super Rugby games and has scored 120 points for them.
The 30-year-old McCaw made his international debut for the All Blacks in 2001 against Ireland at Lansdowne Road. He has played 99 matches for the All Blacks and has scored 95 points for them. He is considered by many as the finest flanker in the world and certainly among the top three in the World.
All Blacks number eight, Kieran Read, has congratulated McCaw on achieving his milestone. He praised his leadership skills, and the hard work he puts into winning every game he plays for his country.
McCaw ended up on the losing side only on 12 occasions since he started playing for the All Blacks. He certainly will like to keep the records book the same way to earn the All Blacks their second RWC title after almost a quarter of century.http://www.planetrugby.com/story/0,25883,3551_7196091,00.html
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