The recent chat suggesting that Richie McCaw is the best All Black rugby player of all time is an interesting debate. I have decided to do some number crunching to compare Richie McCaw with Sir Colin Meads who is widely held in high regard as the best All Black in history.
Firstly, a sign of the quality of player is how they compare to their contemporaries and I think that is why Sir Colin Meads was considered so good. Meads was 102kg and 1.92 metres which today would see him play in the backline, but in his time of 1957-1971 he was a giant. The thing is that because Meads played such a long time ago when everyone (even international players) still had day jobs and there was limited footage and media coverage, they played less test matches, while heaps of rugby followers these days were not around back then to witness his greatness, so we have a biased view of Richie McCaw as the best All Black.
The beauty of both of these players is that they aren't pretty boys, but they are humble everyday rugby players who have been blessed with longevity in their rugby careers. Meads played for the All Blacks from when was 20 until he was 35 years old. McCaw debuted in 2001 age 20 years old and has since played 110 tests for the All Blacks 73 as captain and 1 other match as captain.
Both of these players showed their greatness by their ability to adapt to the game as they got older and slower. McCaw has developed his ball carrying ability to make him more of a hard running loose forward than he used to be. Many thought he would struggle to comeback after the Rugby World Cup 2011 victory where he limped his way through the tournament. But McCaw has been one of the more consistent All Blacks in 2012 and hopefully he has a few more years left in him. He is shorter than Sir Colin Meads. Meads also altered his game as he went from a loose forward in his early career to lock later on. He had the ball running ability to play anywhere.
Richie McCaw - 108kg, 1.87 metres, 110 test matches, 1 other match for All Blacks, 19 tries, 73 tests as captain.
Sir Colin Meads - 102kg, 1.92 metres, 55 test matches, 78 other matches for the All Blacks, 7 test tries, 4 tests as captain.
Both Richie McCaw and Sir Colin Meads have similarities, they are both All Black captains, they were both players who lead by example and weren't show ponies, both adapted their games to suit the changing times as they aged and if there were Rugby World Cups when Meads was playing, then surely he would have won at least as many as Richie has won. I think comparing these two greats is like comparing apples with oranges, they were both amazing players compared with their contemporaries.
I think that it is impossible to compare both of these legends of the game. Meads played over a longer period for the All Blacks than McCaw has, but I get the feeling that if McCaw can lift the Rugby World Cup in 2015 then I think that only then can he claim to be the best All Black of all time. I have loved the way he has played this year, as I thought he may be due for the scrapheap.
What do you think? Is Richie McCaw the best All Black of all-time or is Sir Colin Meads the best All Black of all time? Is there someone else like Michael Jones, Sean Fitzpatrick, Sir Brian Lochore or someone else who deserves the title of "Best All Black of All Time"?
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