‘Honestly, I haven’t made any final decisions but probably the likelihood is I’m not going to be playing next year.’
Crusaders and All Blacks legend and captain Richie McCaw has dropped the biggest hints of his retirement so far.
McCaw is hoping to lead the AB’s through the upcoming Rugby World Cup and be the first ever man to captain his team to the retention of the Webb Ellis trophy before he hangs up his boots.
McCaw and the Webb Ellis trophy back in 2011 after the win against France in the Final.
The 34-year-old added, ‘I don’t want to be getting carried away now talking about those sorts of things when I am focusing about playing. I want to really enjoy this year but, as I say, that’s the likelihood and I don’t want to make any big announcements because I don’t think that would be right going into a season.’
Either way, he has made it clear that he will not be joining the latest craze amongst professional rugby players and pack his boots into his back and head to France or Japan for a big payday. Dan Carter is set to earn an estimated €1.2million a season with Racing Metro but McCaw won’t go looking for his passport when the World Cup is over.
He said, ‘Everyone is motivated a bit differently and I’ve always said that is not the number one motivation. Obviously, it is nice to play and get well looked after because of that but I’ve always said that if I was enjoying it and wanted to carry on playing then I would play here [in New Zealand].’
McCaw has 138 All Blacks Caps (captain for 58) and 125 points scored in the form of 25 Tries. He also has the highest success rate of any other All Black – a staggering 88%. (95 tests, 84 wins)
He has also been IRB Player of the Year a record three times (2006, 2009, 2010)