McCaw's leadership is unchallenged

Laying bare a prejudice that has marked his journalistic career, Stephen Jones of The Sunday Times has defied all logic by not rating two-time World Cup-winning captain Richie McCaw among the top rugby captains.

Jones has long described his often bizarre comments as baiting New Zealanders. He's not the first 'Fleet Streeter' to have done this.

Kiwis had long been used to the verbal fisticuffs since their own T.P. McLean and Welshman J.B.G Thomas regularly lobbed verbal hand grenades at each other in their post-tour books, aimed at achieving the same readership appeal that Jones has since pursued.

The predictability of it all has parallels with the annual race to decry the haka whenever an All Black team is due to tour Britain, and especially England, and the erroneous claims that All Black strength is entirely dependent on an annual hoovering of talent through the Pacific Islands.

That fails to remember that England especially is not averse to claiming Pacific players when it suits, although Britain has some form in this regard having encouraged the transference of the best minds of New Zealand for more than 100 years, and Britain's other former colonies through the Rhodes Scholarship scheme, to boost its intelligence factor. Ironically, if rugby had not tied McCaw to New Zealand he may well have been a Rhodes Scholar.

But all that aside, the inadequacy of Jones' argument is borne by his discounting of those afore-mentioned two Rugby World Cup wins. The first in New Zealand was achieved under McCaw while he played the playoff games on one foot, as an effective example of inspiration to teammates as possible, while the second in England was a celebration of one of the great eras of the game in what was the finest of all Rugby World Cup finals.

What adds strength to McCaw's position among the leaders of repute is the way he picked up his captaincy skills from the very pits of despair as a result of the Cardiff debacle in the Rugby World Cup quarterfinal loss to France in 2007.

To move from that low to the high of 2011, with a side required to play the final with its fourth choice first five-eighths, speaks volumes to McCaw's leadership.

There is a pretty hefty list of evidence in McCaw's favour including the fact that in 110 Tests as captain his side only lost 10 times and in his 148-Test career he enjoyed a winning percentage of 88.5 percent.

Apart from any other consideration, the fact is that in a time when flankers were the victims of multiple law changes, McCaw remained the most consistent of performers in his position while also leading his side.

To ignore those factors in considering the top contenders as leading captains says more about Jones than it does about McCaw. As Donald Trump might tweet: 'Sad'.

To remember how New Zealanders felt about McCaw's contribution to one of the greatest of all rugby eras, 10 years as No1 side in the world of which he led for five years, watch the crowd reaction when he left the field after his last home Test at Eden Park in 2015. And Justin Marshall's words sum it all up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuLbW6etzBA

World Cup loss wasn't the worst

Self-appointed New Zealand rugby historian, Stephen Jones, of Sunday Times fame out of Wapping, London, described England's Rugby World Cup semifinal triumph on Saturday as inflicting the worst defeat on the All Blacks.

Or to put it more accurately, he asked: "When did New Zealand suffer the most crushing defeat in their history? No, you don't need the record books. It was yesterday. It is not a matter of points. It may not look desperate on the scoreboard but they have surely never had so little of a big game, have never been played to a standstill and then to something approximating a rabble."

Forgetting all the journalistic hyperbole, and the never-ending desire to get a rise out of New Zealand fans, the simple fact is that it wasn't the most crushing defeat.

Disappointing yes, but more from the fact that the All Blacks were unable to impose their game, a style of rugby that the world genuinely needs at the moment for the benefit of the game. But most crushing? No.

As players are frequently saying, although many of them will now be more aware of the reality, World Cups are different and are all about winning by whatever means it takes. England were pragmatic to perfection and even in their defensive style there were attributes to admire.

That said, the most crushing New Zealand defeat must remain the third Test 17-6 loss to the Springboks in 1937. 

This was a game in which New Zealand, in the series decider, were so comprehensively out-played, and out-thought, that South Africa scored five tries to nil. And if Gerry Brand had had his goal-kicking boots on it would have been even worse. Based on modern scoring the score would have been 27-6.

Under the laws of the day South Africa opted for scrums every time they had a lineout and they scrummed New Zealand into the Eden Park mud. It was relentless. And if New Zealand looked bereft in the face of England's challenge in Yokohama, they at least continued to play and to try and get some momentum throughout the 80 minutes.

But the men of 1937 were stuffed from the first time the Springboks called for a scrum. The South Africans said they knew from the looks on the faces of the All Blacks that they realised they had been completely caught out tactically and they faced a long day at the office.

It was all to do with New Zealand's complete inability to cope with changing from their 2-3-2 scrum back in 1932.

So sorry Stephen, the reality is otherwise.

There are other contenders as well: the 1999 meltdown at the hands of France in another World Cup semifinal would be one. On that occasion it was positive attack that undid them, even after they built what should have been a match-winning lead.

That's not to forget the 2007 quarterfinal against France where tactics were again awry.

Then there's the 1964 20-5 loss to Australia at Athletic Park.

Some of the contenders in non-Test matches would have included the lamentable 17-40 loss to Sydney in 1992 or the 0-12 loss to Munster in 1978.

But if there is one thing that is common among all the losses, no matter how bad, it is that recovery has followed and so long as that continues All Blacks fans will be happy.