Ruck.co.uk<\/a>, McCaw\u2019s chose the Welsh venue as the best for atmosphere \u2013 chiefly for its electric vibe when the roof is closed.<\/p>\nMcCaw fondly remembered the energy of the crowd that surged through the 74,000-seat arena.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is great to be playing with the roof closed as that creates both a great atmosphere and a dry ball,\u201d he said. The indoor setting makes the venue unique, creating a cauldron-like effect where sound bounces around, making it incredibly loud. Whether you\u2019re Welsh or not, the cheers (and jeers) surround you from all angles.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the deafening noise, McCaw loved the challenge.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt can be extremely noisy but then it is the same for both sides and you just have to do your best to get your messages over to your mates.\u201d<\/p>\n
This stadium, originally known as the Millennium Stadium, is nestled in the heart of Cardiff and is as iconic for its retractable roof as for the history it holds. From World Cup finals to Six Nations clashes, it\u2019s a venue that every player wants to experience.<\/p>\n
For McCaw, the stadium is in a league of its own.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is certainly one of my favourite places,\u201d he said. And who can blame him? The All Blacks are undefeated in Cardiff, so no wonder he loved it!<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Richie-McCaw-copy.jpg\")
Richie McCaw in the famous All Blacks shirt. (Wikicommons)<\/p>\n
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\n the people of Wales.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Wales fans sing the national anthem before the Guinness Six Nations match at the Principality Stadium, David Davies\/PA…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":582661,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[5903,101,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-582660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-rugby","tag-rugby","tag-sports","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/582660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=582660"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/582660\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/582661"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=582660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=582660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=582660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/01HS3T9YJ627EWHKKK3A6M9JK2-scaled-e1710602189552.jpg\")
Wales fans sing the national anthem before the Guinness Six Nations match at the Principality Stadium, David Davies\/PA Wire.<\/p>\n