How ad great Richie McCaw shilled his way to becoming New Zealander of Year
The All Blacks great is more than just a Versatile home owner – he’s also a surprisingly versatile actor.
Richie McCaw was named New Zealander of the Year last night. Some people are angry. They say setting about every All Blacks record, winning two World Cups, and retiring the greatest rugby player of all time isn’t enough to earn you a bank-sponsored award at a Wednesday night Langham booze-up. But with all respect to the guy who founded The Warehouse, McCaw absolutely deserves his place among the past winners of this prestigious award. People forget he is more than a great rugby player-turned-helicopter pilot: McCaw is also one of the finest actors of his generation; a cultural icon who has helped shape the identity of our small island nation in some the most epic ads made south of Hollywood.
Look at our great captain’s oeuvre. His latest campaign for Westpac is one of his most ambitious projects yet: an arthouse meditation about the value of getting on with it. The 60-second ad includes several key themes which run through his body of advertising work – hard yakka, the great outdoors, and going for a run, among others.
Despite his signature themes, McCaw is far from a one-note wonder. In fact, from his brooding Beats by Dre performance to his friendly and informative work as an ambassador for kitset building company Versatile – not to mention his comic turns for Mastercard – he has exhibited a remarkable range for an actor with no formal training.
Here are the 148-test All Black’s television ad appearances ranked from least to most important.
8. Sealegs
This 2011 Sealegs commercial featured push-ups – a McCaw ad staple, and bonus points for them being on the beach – and put him at the wheel of a fancy boat, but lack of any speaking part prevented him from demonstrating his true range. A minor work.
7. adidas
The All Blacks’ loyal kit manufacturers gave McCaw his first known taste of the advertising limelight back in 2007, when he and some other All Blacks drew stickmen doing the haka on a pane of glass for the Impossible is Nothing campaign. From the same era, the Of This Earth campaign was the first to include a now-trademark jogging scene. Contrast these stoic, expressionless performances with 2015’s Force of Black campaign to see just how far he progressed. Despite his remarkable improvement in acting range, McCaw remained somewhat typecast in adidas ads. As a result they rank among his lesser works.
6. Weetbix
Weetbix were perhaps the first advertisers to tell the All Blacks hero: “be yourself”. Easier said than done, but McCaw rose to the task for this 2011 ad with Sonny Bill Williams. Although he doesn’t have a speaking part, McCaw’s presence and easy charisma speaks for itself.
5. Westpac
The first ad of McCaw’s post-All Blacks career may be his most artful and profound work, using extreme exercise as a kind of metaphor for saddling yourself with backbreaking debt. But beneath the flashy surface it mostly just retreads the themes of his earlier work. Hard slog, jogging, sweat… We’ve seen these all before.
4. Air New Zealand
While not an ad in the strictest sense of the word, Air New Zealand’s 2011 All Blacks safety video was a landmark moment, McCaw’s first real opportunity to branch out into a more lighthearted role. He delivers a highly competent piece-to-camera from the cockpit, but the highlight is the subtle glance he shoots the flight attendant at 0:59 – that’s pure acting.
In 2015 the All Blacks again appeared in an Air New Zealand safety video, but McCaw – by then a recognised talent with nothing left to prove – made only a brief cameo appearance.
3. Mastercard
Like De Niro in Meet the Fockers, McCaw’s appearances in the All Blacks’ popular Mastercard ads revealed an unexpectedly strong comedic side to an actor better known for his serious work. In early ads he played a bemused foil to the All Blacks’ number one fan Tim, but as the series developed the pair established a firm friendship. In what may turn out to be their final Mastercard ad the pair share some heartwarming moments together – perhaps none more so than the classic haircut scene.
2. Beats by Dre
Richie McCaw’s advertising career masterpiece. The 2015 Beats by Dre ad is the single best showcase of his talent spectrum, tying together strands from across his oeuvre – enjoying a cup of coffee, slow-motion jogging in beautiful rugged scenery, putting in hard yards on the training paddock – into a visually arresting 3-and-a-half minute feature. That he does all this while wearing different models of Beats by Dre headphones just goes to show the full extent of his ability.
1. Versatile
“That’s Versatile” goes the jingle at the end of every ad, and it could just as well be about McCaw’s acting as the kitset homes and garages he’s promoting. He started as a Versatile ambassador back in 2010 when he held the title ‘New home builder’, before graduating to ‘New Versatile home owner’ and finally just ‘Versatile home owner’. These ads are the perhaps the closest we’ll ever get to ‘the real Richie McCaw’, showcasing his signature off-field moves like sipping a cup of coffee and standing with his hands in his jean pockets. Their importance cannot be overstated.
Comments on RugbyPass
The shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
18 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments1.97m and 105Kg? Proportionately, probably skinnier than me at 1.82 and 82kilos. He won’t survive against the big guys at that weight.
56 Go to commentsThe value he brought to the crusaders as an assistant was equal to what he got out of being there. He reflected not only on the team culture but also the credit he attributed to the rugby community. Such experience shouldn’t be overlooked.
8 Go to commentsGood luck Aussie
11 Go to commentssmith at 9 / mounga 10 / laumape 12 / fainganuku 14
61 Go to commentsBar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
11 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to comments