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The Richie McCaw verdict on France and Ireland's World Cup chances

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

Two-time World Cup-winning skipper Richie McCaw has given his verdict on the chances of host nation France and Grand Slam Guinness Six Nations champions Ireland at the upcoming finals in France. He also shared his thoughts on how Eddie Jones might do the Wallabies.

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There are now just 100 days to go before the September 8 opening match between the French and the All Blacks and McCaw is very much a retired player with a voice of authority given that he is the only man to win two Rugby World Cups as captain.

It was 2011 and 2015 when he raised aloft the Webb Ellis Cup following two very different wins in the finals against France and Australia and speaking to World Rugby during his recent visit to London to attend King Charles III’s coronation, McCaw sized up the chances of either France or Ireland becoming the first northern hemisphere country to win the World Cup since Clive Woodward’s England in 2003.

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“From a northern hemisphere point of view, Ireland have set the pace in the Six Nations and the French aren’t that far behind, so it makes it pretty intriguing,” he said on rugbyworldcup.com.

“There is no doubt that people consider the French and the Irish have got a pretty good chance of winning.

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“As we have found out in years gone by, where you are ranked going into a World Cup actually doesn’t necessarily count for a whole lot. But just to put aside the rankings, I got to see the Irish in New Zealand last year for three Tests and there is quite a strong resolve about them, of knowing they are on a mission.

“The way they put together that series win (over New Zealand) was pretty impressive and they have backed it up again just recently, so it is going to make it interesting.

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“Putting aside my allegiances for wanting the All Blacks to do well, it is pretty wide open as to who might win. You are not too sure what might happen.

“So there is that side of it and, I guess from a New Zealand point of view, you have sort of always known in the past that if they can put it together they can go and get the job done, whereas after the last year you sort of go, ‘Jeepers, there is going to have to be some improvements to put the team in the right spot’.”

If there is one lesson McCaw learned from his time in the game it is not to take the Wallabies lightly – even after a year when they only won five of their 14 Tests, including a first-ever loss to Italy, and changed coaches.

“Eddie Jones, whatever team he takes over, he usually causes some change pretty quick and they get a real bounce, and he will probably do the same with the Aussies,” he said.

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“You might think they might not be where you would usually consider them to be, but they have a unique way of using what they have got to be right in the mix.”

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Jon 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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j
john 9 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

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A
Adrian 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

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