He is ostensibly here for a board meeting of New Zealand Rugby Commercial, the arm of the sport that\u2019s been set up to help grow and expand the All Blacks brand, fan base and bank balance beyond traditional rugby borders.<\/p>\n
But over the five days he\u2019s in town, he will also be meeting existing, new and potential partners of NZ Rugby, and outlining the power and importance of the All Blacks brand, based on two critical factors \u2013 the history, legacy and mystique of the team, and its incredible test-winning record (76.67%).<\/p>\n
Ten years on from the Twickenham triumph, McCaw certainly has a story to tell.<\/p>\n
Richie McCaw holds aloft the Webb Ellis Trophy after winning the Rugby World Cup in 2015. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n
The mystique of the All Blacks<\/p>\n
Richie McCaw \u2013 All Black number 1014, with 148 test caps \u2013 raises several tensions and issues that need to be balanced in the modern game, including preserving the All Blacks\u2019 mystique while also lifting the veil enough to entice future fans.<\/p>\n
Formula One has done it incredibly successfully through the Netflix series Drive to Survive.<\/p>\n
Previous attempts at fly-on-the-wall All Black productions have been interesting enough, but nowhere near as insightful: the team has a winning formula and a team ethos that previous administrations have been keen to preserve.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou want to keep that mystique,\u201d says McCaw, talking more broadly. \u201cThat\u2019s what people are interested in, but how do you show that without showing it? <\/p>\n
\u201cYou want to give a glimpse… it\u2019s a balance. You want to give people a little look, but they want more. When you\u2019re trying to build a digital platform, you want to give more \u2013 that\u2019s where the conflict comes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Me v we\u2019 tensions<\/p>\n
Another tension lies within the team environment itself. McCaw is the unabashed epitome of a team-first man. He would have no qualms \u2013 I suspect this is still the case today \u2013 about re-educating any player who got too big for their boots within the All Blacks environment.<\/p>\n
McCaw discusses the differences between New Zealand rugby and other professional sports, such as English football and US franchises and in particular the tension that can exist between the promotion of team versus individuals.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s unique about New Zealand rugby, and then the All Blacks at the top of it, is it\u2019s a team, a game that everyone feels like they\u2019ve got a stake in. <\/p>\n
Richie McCaw played 148 tests for the All Blacks, and is a two-time World Cup winner. Photo \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n
\u201cNo one owns it \u2013 even when you play for the All Blacks, you don\u2019t own it, you\u2019re just there to give to the team for what is a big legacy,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo when you\u2019re trying to show that \u2013 and you do that through personality \u2013 it\u2019s a real balance between showing that it\u2019s about the team, and everyone, no matter who you are, [is] there to just be one of the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s what\u2019s a little bit different to other sports. You might have a team and individuals that you\u2019re quite happy to promote because that\u2019s what fans want. It\u2019s a real balance.\u201d<\/p>\n
McCaw was asked whether this inhibited the commercial potential for individuals.<\/p>\n
His answer reflects, he says, a symptom of what\u2019s happening in wider society.<\/p>\n
\u201cI get a sense it starts to become more about what I can get rather than what I can give. <\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the things in the All Blacks was always about when you come in there, it\u2019s what you give to the team and you\u2019ll get rewards out of that, but it\u2019s about putting \u2018we\u2019 in front of \u2018me\u2019. <\/p>\n
\u201cIf you look at years gone by, people probably had that first thought. Whereas now it\u2019s a little bit more about \u2018Where I sit and what I can get out of that\u2019. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not saying that\u2019s wrong, it\u2019s just different. In team dynamics, how do you make sure people are prepared to do what\u2019s right for the team rather than what\u2019s right for me?\u201d<\/p>\n
He believed it was wrong to say, \u201cOh, it\u2019s changed, and that\u2019s just the way it is\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe legacy of the All Blacks and the history… You know, when you come in and you understand that and you want to be a part of it, you can still drive that. <\/p>\n
\u201cAs long as everyone buys into it and is aware of it… I think that\u2019s where the success comes. That\u2019s why rugby is unique \u2013 you need a group, especially on the field, of 15 people, but a wider group all doing their part. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t do it on your own. You can\u2019t just have a group of superstars and say, \u2018Oh, it\u2019s going to function\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need a team that has talent, but is actually able to work together, and when it gets tough, you have different people being able to step up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that\u2019s what\u2019s unique \u2013 that in some ways is our greatest strength, as you have talented people across, but they\u2019re all about making sure the team\u2019s successful.<\/p>\n
\u201cGood players come and go, and they just slot in because it\u2019s about team success.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cThere are more challenges around that.\u201d<\/p>\n
The rise of social media<\/p>\n
One of those challenges was in social media and other marketing, ensuring there were rules around the promotion of individuals versus the team.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlayers own their own image, but New Zealand Rugby own effectively the team, so how do you differentiate between what I do as Richie McCaw and what I do as Richie McCaw the All Black?\u201d<\/p>\n
An earlier photo posted by Gemma McCaw showing her and husband Richie McCaw with their baby daughter Charlotte. Photo \/ Instagram<\/p>\n
Those were the types of issues that came up as part of collective contract discussions \u2013 \u201cto work out what\u2019s actually best for the game\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cRather than just going, what\u2019s best for just the players? Or what\u2019s just best for the union? It\u2019s what\u2019s best for the game. We effectively need both to function well to be commercially successful.\u201d<\/p>\n
To be fair, he said, he was lucky during his career that he was able to secure some opportunities in a personal capacity, where he did not need to be called \u201cRichie McCaw, the All Black\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t through promoting through social media, it was purely through what you were doing on the field. That\u2019s where it\u2019s changed, I think.\u201d<\/p>\n
During his career, any players who were seen to be impacting on team culture through any of their behaviour \u2013 promotional or otherwise \u2013 were \u201csorted out pretty quickly\u201d. <\/p>\n
As for any differences today, compared with when he was playing, he says wryly: \u201cWhen it comes to things like social media, I hate doing it, but I do it…\u201d<\/p>\n
McCaw\u2019s frustrations with kicking, TMO<\/p>\n
McCaw says kicking has become a \u201cdefault\u201d in the current modern game, where \u2013 unless there is a run of broken play \u2013 many players are opting to hoist the ball high for a 50-50 play. \u201cIt\u2019s not just New Zealand, it\u2019s everyone in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
How much kicking will we see from the All Blacks and Ireland teams in Chicago tomorrow? Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n
He remembered a similar tactic had emerged in 2009; the All Blacks had taken time to overcome it, but not before the Springboks had beaten them three times.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019ll swing around \u2013 you want good kicking to be a part of the game, but not the default.\u201d<\/p>\n
McCaw also thinks there are a couple of \u201ceasy\u201d wins to hasten the pace of footy, making it a better spectacle. <\/p>\n
He believes the timing for the setting of scrums can be sped up, without impacting safety, and he raises the issue of the television match official (TMO).<\/p>\n
McCaw says rugby has also become somewhat stalled. Where once the TMO was focused on a try or no-try decision, they were now pinpointing every precise moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re our own worst enemies when it comes to picking up mistakes. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou don\u2019t want to see howlers that cost people the game, but my view is that the game has some grey areas [with] human input \u2013 it\u2019s going to be in an area of how a ref interprets how things happen. <\/p>\n
\u201cBut we\u2019re so critical of a ref who gets it wrong that everyone\u2019s worried about getting it wrong.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo we make sure we get 100% right, which makes the game quite stalled in my opinion.\u201d<\/p>\n
He acknowledged the challenge of finding an appropriate solution. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot riding on results.\u201d<\/p>\n
All Blacks\u2019 consistency<\/p>\n
On the eve of one of the All Blacks\u2019 most critical tests of the year, McCaw talked about the importance and challenge of consistency.<\/p>\n
McCaw said Scott Robertson\u2019s All Blacks squad had a \u201cheap of talent\u201d across the board.<\/p>\n
All Blacks coach Scott Robertson (left) and Ireland coach Andy Farrell. Photos \/ Photosport<\/p>\n
\u201cThe toughest thing in sport is the consistency factor \u2013 to be able to do it week in, week out.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s probably one of the things that they\u2019d be disappointed with, I know they are this year. You have a good performance, backing those performances up.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s why it\u2019s going to be a challenge over the next four weeks \u2013 four big tests, four weeks in a row.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they put it together, they are as good as any team probably we\u2019ve seen. It\u2019s just being able to do it for long periods in a game and then week after week.\u201d<\/p>\n
Working with Silverlake<\/p>\n
McCaw\u2019s extensive influence that he once carried on the field now extends to his work off it.<\/p>\n
As the Rugby Players Association representative on the board of NZ Rugby Commercial, McCaw is now sitting opposite Silver Lake, the private equity firm that the association locked horns with before it confirmed it was taking a stake in NZR in 2022.<\/p>\n
The All Blacks perform the haka in Wellington. Photo \/ Photosport<\/p>\n
McCaw has put that stand-off in the rear-vision mirror and is now working with Silver Lake\u2019s representatives and other board members for the greater good of rugby.<\/p>\n
He hopes and expects NZR to tap into the expertise and experience of Silver Lake, while still ensuring rugby retains its uniqueness as a New Zealand sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of their expertise and understanding of how other teams and other businesses all work and their networks, we\u2019ve got to be able to tap into that.\u201d<\/p>\n
He says Silver Lake\u2019s representatives \u2013 Simon Patterson and Stephen Evans \u2013 are \u201crugby people\u201d who understand the ethos of the sport.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce everything got sorted… we\u2019re here to see what\u2019s best for New Zealand rugby and make sure everyone benefits from that. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe all want to see New Zealand rugby flourishing, both from a financial point of view so we can keep the game the way it is, but also we want the game to be strong \u2013 the All Blacks competing well, people wanting to play… all that sort of stuff is important.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s what everyone wants. There are going to be different ideas of how we get there. I guess that\u2019s what it\u2019s all about… debating that and then coming up with the right plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Life as an All Black<\/p>\n
One of the US-based journalists asked McCaw about life as an All Black in New Zealand.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe get left alone to live normal lives pretty much, by and large.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richie McCaw with some royal observers. Photo \/ Getty Images<\/p>\n
One of the reasons was that \u201cyou don\u2019t have to go too far in communities\u201d to know an All Black \u2013 it might be a friend of a friend. <\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t as though the All Blacks were \u201cseen as gods that are different to everyone else\u201d.<\/p>\n
New Zealand rugby also thrived on an egalitarian principle.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have people from all walks of life [playing rugby], so you didn\u2019t necessarily have to go to a certain school. <\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn\u2019t have to grow up in a certain area \u2013 you had people from all backgrounds and cultures that made the All Blacks. <\/p>\n
\u201cBecause of that, everyone feels like [the team] is part of them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shayne Currie travelled to Chicago with assistance from New Zealand Rugby.<\/p>\n
Editor-at-Large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand\u2019s most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME including Managing Editor, NZ Herald Editor and Herald on Sunday Editor and has a small shareholding in NZME.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"He is ostensibly here for a board meeting of New Zealand Rugby Commercial, the arm of the sport…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":112314,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[19399,5263,95,56767,5432,8136,4463,674,138,80260,6206,5269,42,293,23500,29943,8019,39533,3223,13557,5969,43,1118,90,2680,22213,1523,13556,6327,13672,7187,37454,223,80259,40,38,41,39,6123,71895,102,8598],"class_list":["post-112313","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-abs","tag-all","tag-and","tag-balancing","tag-between","tag-blacks","tag-brand","tag-building","tag-business","tag-enemies","tag-frustrations","tag-game","tag-headlines","tag-his","tag-impact","tag-individuals","tag-ireland","tag-kicking","tag-legend","tag-mccaw","tag-much","tag-news","tag-of","tag-on","tag-opens","tag-our","tag-over","tag-richie","tag-rugby","tag-state","tag-team","tag-tension","tag-the","tag-tmo","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories","tag-while","tag-wider","tag-with","tag-worst"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112313","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=112313"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/112313\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/112314"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=112313"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=112313"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=112313"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}