Kiwi captain will not change style
New Zealand captain Richie McCaw says he will not change his playing or his captaincy style ahead of future matches.
McCaw has sometimes been criticised for the way he captains his team and runs about the field as a player. His chaotic style has sometimes got him in to trouble with referees because of the way he seems to constantly question decisions.
However, some will argue that it would be stupid for the captain to change the way he plays right now to please others. This is because the team are winning and his leadership seems to be having a positive effect on others.
An aggressive leader and player can have a number of beneficial effects over the rest of a team that lead them to play better. However, the constant questioning of authority is hardly going to set the right example to those people who look up to McCaw as a role model.
Ability to Inspire
When sides are up against it during tough games against very tough opponents then players look to their leader. An aggressive and rough leader can inspire the rest of the team and cause them to lift their levels of play.
A vocal leader also helps the adrenaline to kick in for other players. This will mean that they start running just a little bit faster and go for tackles that they wouldn't normally consider.
McCaw is very honest and raw in the way that he leads and plays in a team. Therefore he is able to control a team and give them discipline when other captaincy styles could lead to challenging of the captain.
He said: "If you go in gun shy you're not going to have an impact. I think the big thing is to understand where you sit and what you're going to get away with and what you're not. As long as you're not putting the team under heaps of pressure you've got to still be at the point of knowing what you can get away with and what you can't and the odd thing you might get wrong."
The dangers
It is a very black and white way of thinking about a captaincy but those captains who do not mouth off at all hardly ever pick up bans or get in to trouble for what they have supposedly said on the field to an official.
Sooner or later another ban will appear followed by another and this constantly proves the negative of the way that McCaw likes to lead his team during big matches.
It's also hardly the ideal example to set for younger players who look up to their captain for advice on other matters. Someone with a very aggressive style can put players off from approaching him.
McCaw added: "I think I gave away four penalties or it might have been five and there were a couple of them I was disappointed with - I always think the things I'm trying to do are the right things and if he's penalising me for some reason I think 'geez I'm not going to get away with that today' or 'that's not going to work with this ref'."
Betting advice
New Zealand look like the best team in the world at the moment and a lot of that is down to the leadership of their captain. This does not seem like it will change in the near future and you should back the Kiwis with confidence as they head towards their final Tri Nations matches. They way they have played shouldn't discourage you from having a punt on them to win the next World Cup either.
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