Richie McCaw is rugby royalty. 148 Test caps. Two Rugby World Cups. Fifteen years of dominance in the All Blacks\u2019 No.7 jersey.<\/p>\n
So when the greatest openside flanker of all time is asked who\u00a0really\u00a0pushed him to the limit, the answers carry serious weight.<\/p>\n
Join the RUCK\u2019s WhatsApp community here<\/a>\u00a0and get the latest news sent straight to your messages.<\/p>\n Speaking in a Q&A with\u00a0World Rugby, McCaw revealed the\u00a0four back-row forwards he hated coming up against the most\u00a0during his glittering career \u2013 and despite their reputations,\u00a0Michael Hooper and Sam Warburton didn\u2019t make the cut.<\/p>\n Instead, McCaw named four men who combined physicality, intelligence and sheer menace at the breakdown.<\/p>\n #1. George Smith (Australia)<\/p>\n Position:\u00a0Back-row If there was one man who truly mirrored Richie McCaw\u2019s breakdown mastery, it was\u00a0George Smith.<\/p>\n The Wallabies legend debuted for Australia at just\u00a019 years old\u00a0and went on to become one of the most tactically astute openside flankers the professional era has ever seen. Smith wasn\u2019t the biggest or the fastest, but his reading of the game was exceptional. He always seemed to arrive first, lower, and smarter than anyone else.<\/p>\n Smith earned\u00a0111 Test caps across 13 years, a remarkable achievement given Australia\u2019s constant regeneration during that period. He faced the All Blacks\u00a024 times, winning seven of those encounters \u2013 an impressive return against one of the most dominant teams in rugby history.<\/p>\n McCaw admitted Smith stood out early.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was always pretty tough. I remember playing him when I was in the under-19s against Australia and thinking just how good a player he was.\u201d<\/p>\n Expanded bio: Even into his late 30s, Smith remained good enough to earn Wallabies recalls \u2013 a testament to his rugby IQ and conditioning.<\/p>\n Did you know? CONTINUES ON PAGE TWO<\/a><\/p>\n Like this:<\/p>\n Like Loading…<\/p>\n
Height:\u00a05 ft 11 in
Weight:\u00a0233 lb
Test caps:\u00a0111<\/p>\n
Smith was a two-time winner of the\u00a0John Eales Medal, Australia\u2019s highest individual honour, and starred for the Brumbies during their golden Super Rugby era. After leaving Australia, he extended his career with Toulon in France and Suntory in Japan, proving his class translated across leagues and styles.<\/p>\n
Smith was instantly recognisable for his\u00a0dreadlocks, which he famously sold in 2006 to raise money for a charity supporting young people with cancer.<\/p>\n