Richie McCaw says a new All Blacks coach 'leaves no guarantees' over selection

Richie McCaw says there’s no room for complacency this Super Rugby season, given a new All Blacks head coach won’t owe established players anything when it comes to selection.

McCaw was inducted into the New Zealand Sport Hall of Fame this week, an all but inevitable recognition for what was one of the country’s most iconic sporting careers.

The former All Blacks captain’s international career began in 2001 at the age of 20, with then-head coach John Mitchell so confident in the young flanker’s talents that he selected him for Test duty before McCaw had played a single Super Rugby game.

But Mitchell’s tenure was short-lived, and McCaw quickly found himself needing to impress Sir Graham Henry, who succeeded the now-Red Roses head coach.

While Henry ultimately shared Mitchell’s confidence in McCaw and initially even named him vice-captain, McCaw says the changeover had him and the rest of the playing group on edge.

Reflecting on that period following his Hall of Fame induction this week, McCaw said the same logic “absolutely” applies to today’s players in the wake of Scott Robertson’s exit.

“It leaves no guarantees, not that they necessarily ever was,” McCaw told D’Arcy Waldegrave on Newstalk ZB.

“But I just remember back, I think it was maybe 2004, when there was a whole new change of coaching setup. What was I, 22? And I was like, man, you’re not going to be getting any favours because you’ve done something in the past, and that’s always the way.

“But it’s going to add an edge, which is what you want. Hopefully, it gets people talking about who might be in the team and who might be the bolters and all that. That’s what you want; people talking and watching with interest.

“So it’s certainly going to make it intriguing, and hopefully we get some good Super Rugby, where some new stars put their hands up and the old fellas that have been around a while get into the swing of things as well.”

Another change the players must contend with in 2026 is the latest wave of law variations, all designed to bring more pace into the game.

Higher pace, of course, means higher fatigue, and that’s something McCaw says he was always in favour of.

“I was always an advocate for anything that sped the game up and took a bit of juice out of other teammates’ legs,” he said. “Hopefully, as the game goes on, you can hang in there the longest. So, if we can see that, and as a spectator, that’s what you want to see.”