Richie McCaw - The Best Ever?

[shiznit]

Just reading some of the English press in the buildup to the test this week...

ive seen a couple of comments about McCaw being the best player the game has ever seen.

ive never thought about him like that... ive always been an admirer of his talents... and thankful that hes a kiwi...

but personally i still rate him just a shade behind Michael Jones as the best player ive ever seen.

for mine... the only difference between Michael Jones & Richie McCaw at this stage is McCaw hasn't quite put his mark on a RWC.

perhaps next year at Eden Park he can put that one to bed...

any other thoughts...

 

[Alehana]

i never got to see Jones play, the earliest NZ flanker i can remember was Josh Kronfield, he was awesome..i guess mccaaw doesn't have the same mongrel, but makes up for it with his intelligence. he defintaley IMO is the best player i've ever seen, and NZ would be )(*^#$ if he wasn't playing or DC, (imagine a team with stephen donald and daniel braid instead of Rich and DC?), be good for NZ to win it next year. if they cant win it next year, they will never win it

 

[14jonesk]

mcaw's sh*t

 

[Parra]

It is going to be hard for a forward to be the best of all time. Even in rugby, despite the importance of the roles.

Of recent eras Poidevin and Eales have been standouts for Australia.

McCaw is better than them, and better than Jones as well as far as I am concerned. He is consistently the best player in teams that have been dominant for quite a while.

 

[Butters]

McCaw would've been lucky to make the ABs if George Smith was a kiwi.

 

[Te Kaha]

McCaw would've been lucky to make the ABs if George Smith was a kiwi.

Thats quite funny.. almost Skeepish... As for best ever? Jones could have been had his injury not changed his playing style... for share heart McCaw wins hands down.

 

[SEAT 1A]

Willie O for me. Not really into the finer points on union however the man had no fear. One of the toughest players to play the game.

I think it was in the 1991 WC agaisn't either NZ in the semi or England in the final. He tackled (more like assulted someone), one of the best hits I have ever seen.

Read on Wikipedia he was denided entry back into NZ in 89 after touring Aus due to his Tongan passport. Thank fug for that.

On the semi agaisn't NZ, great game. Can't comment on NZ's however, Australian rugby was at it's peak at that time.

 

[Garts]

McCaw is the best flanker I have seen, Smith was up there but probably a shade behind. Pocock looks like he could be better than both at this early stage of his career. Time will tell.

 

[The 18th Man]

Close, very freaking close. Love watching the All Blacks and their captain in particular.

 

[skeepe]

Given that he's not even the best flanker to play the game, a resounding no from me.

Nothing but a guy who constantly breaks the laws and somehow gets away with it.

George Smith remains the best number 7 to play the game, and he reached heights McCaw has got nowhere near. Only a biased idiot would think otherwise.

 

[shiznit]

Given that he's not even the best flanker to play the game, a resounding no from me.

Nothing but a guy who constantly breaks the laws and somehow gets away with it.

George Smith remains the best number 7 to play the game, and he reached heights McCaw has got nowhere near. Only a biased idiot would think otherwise.

just clarifying it for some of our newer posters who may not know much about skeepe...

in skeepe world.... the rest of the world is a bunch of biased idiots and hes the only sane person.

in skeepe world... you dont gain respect until you can get a dog to lick your nads... :lol:

so seeing how highly skeepe rates George Smith.... you gotta wonder what George has been up to since retirement. :sarcasm:

 

[stormbati]

McCaw would've been lucky to make the ABs if George Smith was a kiwi.

Lol, I actually agree. George Smith was the best for a long time. Don't they play on opposite sides though?

 

[skeepe]

just clarifying it for some of our newer posters who may not know much about skeepe...

in skeepe world.... the rest of the world is a bunch of biased idiots and hes the only sane person.

in skeepe world... you dont gain respect until you can get a dog to lick your nads... :lol:

so seeing how highly skeepe rates George Smith.... you gotta wonder what George has been up to since retirement. :sarcasm:

:sleeper:

Get back to me when McCaw has played in a World Cup final.

 

[Mr Angry]

Alan Tongue is better than all of them.

 

[Te Kaha]

:sleeper:

Get back to me when McCaw has played in a World Cup final.

Is that all you have got?????

How many Bledisloe cups did he win, Tri-Nations, international Player of the year???

Smith was good... but he wouldnt have been anything more than an All Black bench player if he was born in NZ.

 

[Thomas]

McCaw is a great forward. He's inspirational and what the Wallabies have lacked since Eales departed. He's also a pretty fine flanker and I know that when he isn't playing, that the wallabies have a very good chance of winning.

In saying that, I think Pocock will be, in a few years time, the best player in the game. His game against France was immense and he seems to be made of rubber. I don't think there is, right now, a better flanker who can tackle, bounce to his feet and get the ball quicker than he can...McCaw included.

 

[Te Kaha]

McCaw is a great forward. He's inspirational and what the Wallabies have lacked since Eales departed. He's also a pretty fine flanker and I know that when he isn't playing, that the wallabies have a very good chance of winning.

In saying that, I think Pocock will be, in a few years time, the best player in the game. His game against France was immense and he seems to be made of rubber. I don't think there is, right now, a better flanker who can tackle, bounce to his feet and get the ball quicker than he can...McCaw included.

His problem is that he is a one trick pony at the moment... and he is in danger of being left behind... McCaw has changed his game this year, its less about the "foraging" and more about the support, link and defense games.

 

[Parra]

His problem is that he is a one trick pony at the moment... and he is in danger of being left behind... McCaw has changed his game this year, its less about the "foraging" and more about the support, link and defense games.

He has also slowed up a bit. Foraging is a young blokes game. Pocock can keep doing that one-trick if thats what you call it.

 

[skeepe]

Is that all you have got?????

How many Bledisloe cups did he win, Tri-Nations, international Player of the year???

Smith was good... but he wouldnt have been anything more than an All Black bench player if he was born in NZ.

:lol:

All those accolades, yet he comprehensively chokes on the biggest stage of all.

 

[Te Kaha]

He has also slowed up a bit. Foraging is a young blokes game. Pocock can keep doing that one-trick if thats what you call it.

except the opensides game is moving away that... with the tackled player allowed to hold on to it for a split second longer there are less and less chances for a one on one steal... if thats all he can do Aus arent going to win any big games.

:lol:

All those accolades, yet he comprehensively chokes on the biggest stage of all.

No worse than Smith... at least McCaw has won something... how many world cup winners medals does Smith have??? simple the same number as McCaw... for now.