As Richie McCaw finally lifted the Rugby World Cup in 2011 he described the feeling as emerging into the light from the four year tunnel he had been in since the despair of the 2007 Rugby World Cup. His autobiography, ‘Richie McCaw: The Open Side’, or ‘The Real McCaw: The Autobiography of Richie McCaw’ outside of New Zealand and Australia, was released on the 9th of October, 2012. It is written with Greg McGee, a New Zealand writer and playwright.

The book tells the story of the four years beginning in the dismay of the quarter final defeat at Cardiff …

Richie McCaw’s biography, Richie McCaw The Open Side by himself and Greg McKee is out on the Kindle today. My copy has just arrived and I can’t wait to read it. A variety of excerpts have been released over the last few days, and feature McCaw’s insight into the Henry vs Deans debate, Quade Cooper, Wayne Barnes at the 2007 Rugby World Cup, and most shocking of all, how bad his foot injury was during the 2011 Rugby World Cup.

In New Zealand and on the kindle the books is called “The Open Side”. However, in the UK and other …

Here’s a blog I wrote back in 2007 but am now transferring to RugbyFix. It was before the All Blacks v France game in Wellington, on the 9th of June. The All Black went on to demolish France 61 – 10. A fifty point thrashing that might put any potential complacency the All Blacks team might have had when they challenged France in the 2007 Rugby World Cup quarter final, into context. No other team in world rugby apart from France can turn around a 50 point defeat in such a way, and no other team apart from the All …

David Pocock v Richie McCaw

Hackles, along with eyebrows and blood pressure, were raised New Zealand wide recently with Robbie Deans’ assertion that Australia’s David Pocock was the greatest openside flanker to play the game.

The reason for such consternation around the small islands at the bottom of the globe? Simple. The All Black number 7 jersey is a sacred thing – it’s the glamour position, worn by the player which children around the country emulate in their backyards and school grounds, and we reckon over the years we’ve produced more than our fair share of fantastic openside flankers. And …

The Crusaders’ poor performance against the Queensland Reds on Sunday isn’t in itself huge cause for concern for the franchise. The coaching staff will chalk it up to being one of those outings when things just didn’t click, and while the accuracy needs to improve, the Cantabrians still look to be peaking at the right end of the season.

However, there were some ominous signs for the red and blacks, and indeed for New Zealand rugby in general, primarily in the way an unheralded loose forward trio managed to out-passion, and actually dominate, the Crusaders, including All Black captain-in-waiting Kieran …