Few players in rugby history embody grit, composure, and leadership quite like Richie McCaw. The former All Blacks captain wasn’t just a great player — he was the benchmark.
Across 148 test matches, McCaw guided New Zealand to two Rugby World Cup titles, led them through a record-breaking era of dominance, and cemented himself as perhaps the most respected (and feared) competitor to ever lace up a pair of boots.
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But greatness has a shadow. McCaw’s relentless pursuit of perfection — his tireless work at the breakdown, his refusal to yield an inch — invited both admiration and animosity. For over a decade, opponents tried everything to stop him. Sometimes, that line was crossed.
These are the flashpoints that shaped McCaw’s myth — the clashes that tested his resilience and revealed just how hard the world’s toughest flanker really was.
Stephen Larkham – The Early Duel
Before the high-profile collisions and disciplinary headlines, there were the pure rugby rivalries. One of the earliest came with Wallabies playmaker Stephen Larkham.
Calm, clinical, and clever, Larkham was the opposite of McCaw’s thunderous intensity, but their encounters in the early 2000s were fierce.
Each man embodied his nation’s ethos — the cerebral Wallaby versus the indomitable All Black. It was the kind of clash that forged respect, even if neither would admit it at the time.
Lote Tuqiri – The Spear That Shocked the Game
In 2006, Australia’s powerhouse winger Lote Tuqiri lit up the Tri-Nations for all the wrong reasons. During a bruising Bledisloe battle, Tuqiri lifted McCaw and drove him head-first into the turf — a dangerous spear tackle that somehow escaped an on-field red card.
Richie McCaw dusted himself off, as he always did, and finished the match. But the footage told another story. Tuqiri was later banned for five weeks, and the incident reignited debate about player safety and inconsistent officiating.
It also reinforced McCaw’s near-mythical durability. “Captain Courageous” had once again taken a hit that might have ended another man’s night — and simply carried on leading.
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