Richie McCaw’s dream team of players he’s coached could compete with any team from any generation of rugby.
Looking back through the archives, the 40-year-old saves his praise for only the players he truly admires.
RICHIE MCCAW’S DREAM TEAM:
BACK-THREE:
- 15. Christian Cullen (New Zeland)
- 14. Julian Savea (New Zealand)
- 11. Jonah Lomu (New Zealand)
McCawon Lomu: “When I first became an All Black he was in the team. To play alongside a guy you have watched as a young fella was pretty amazing. He made me look silly in training more than once.
“He is one of the absolute superstars of rugby. If you go to somewhere where rugby is perhaps not well known then the one guy they do know is Jonah. It’s really sad that he’s passed away at age 40. He was a legend of the All Blacks and a legend of rugby.:
Jonah Lomu facts:
- Playing on the wing Lomu finished his international career with 63 caps and 37 tries
- He became the youngest ever All Black when he played his first international in 1994 at the age of 19 years and 45 days
- Lomu was inducted into the International Rugby Hall of Fame on 9 October 2007, and the IRB Hall of Fame on 24 October 2011
- In 1996, McDonald’s New Zealand named a burger after Lomu, temporarily rebranding the McFeast burger line (called “Mega Feast” in New Zealand) as the “Jonah Burger”
- On 9 April 2007, Lomu appeared on New Zealand’s version of This Is Your Life, in which he was reunited with long time friend Grant Kereama, who had donated a kidney to Lomu when he underwent a kidney transplant in July 2004
- Lomu lent his name to various video games including Jonah Lomu Rugby
CENTRES:
- 13. Ma’a Nonu (New Zealand)
- 12. Dan Carter (New Zealand)
McCaw on Carter: “There are a lot of good players but the guys who did it for a long time and that I’ve been lucky to play with is Dan Carter. In the final, he was sensational and he’s been great for a long time. So to be able to play with him for the years I’ve been playing was pretty cool.”
