This morning Richie McCaw and Mils Muliaina hold the record of being the most-capped All Blacks, beating my 92 caps with their 93rd against Ireland.
They have my congratulations it’s a great feat. I have to say I have never really thought that much about the record, beyond thinking that they play so many more test matches these days that it couldn’t possibly last.
But 92 caps is a lot and, as many people know, I was lucky enough to escape injury; at least until my last test.
That was against Wales in 1997, when I went on at halftime to see if my injured knee could stand up to it and whether I could start in the next test. All Black coach John Hart took me out to dinner later and said: “You’re not playing” and that was it. Read more
By the time this is read, we’ll know the result of the test against England but, regardless of that outcome, no one should underestimate the strength of the English challenge for next year’s World Cup.
They are going through some changes in the game, which most of us assume will place them at some disadvantage compared to the All Blacks, but that isn’t necessarily so.
Last week, Richie McCaw passed my record of test wins as an All Black, and with 48 matches as captain he is fast approaching my record of 51 tests as skipper. All being well, he’ll have overhauled me before the end of the year.
People have been asking me how I feel about Richie beating my records; and I can tell you that I am delighted for him. If you’re going to relinquish a record, it might as well be to a guy who has got an 88% win rate, who is the perfect embodiment of what All Black rugby is about, and who in his career so far has won international newcomer of the year, New Zealand player of the year twice, and IRB player of the year a couple of times too. He is, no doubt, a class act.
The weeks ahead will set the tone for the build-up to the World Cup next year. With some teams surging while others fade, it is a fascinating period.
The All Blacks made just one change to the team that played Wales last night, after their emphatic trouncing of an ill-disciplined Irish side last week, and my immediate reaction was to smile and nod my head appreciatively.
It is a joy to see continuity in selection and while I understand the realities of the modern game necessitate big squads and a degree of rotation, I also know continuity and consistent high performance are natural bedfellows.
Although I suspect Graham Henry will change all that for the next test against the Welsh, there are signs the side is settling. Read more
