McCaw to miss S14 openers
Richie McCaw will be rested for the Crusaders’ first three Super 14 matches next season.
An agreement between the New Zealand rugby union and the franchises has been made, which will see several players rested during the Super 14 because of the All Blacks’ conditioning programme.
All Blacks skipper McCaw will now miss the Crusaders’ opening matches against the Highlanders, Reds and Sharks. He will return for the home game against the Blues.
It has also been reported that McCaw, who signed until the 2011 World Cup, has rejected the temptation of using a loop-hole in his contract to have stint in Europe, a one similar to Dan Carter’s before his move to Perpignan.
Crusaders head coach Todd Blackadder said he is happy that his captain has decided to stay and will have no problem resting his star flanker.
‘The positive in all this is that he is not choosing to take a sabbatical and it is good he can take a breather. He wants to play and has not exercised the clause in his contract,’ Blackadder told stuff.co.nz. ‘He’s been bashed up a bit this year and it’s really about keeping him fresh.’
November 30th, 2009 at 11:33 am
Ritchie ain’t no dragon.
He is ………..
he is…………
well…………..
I suppose ……..he is just plain old Ritchie.
And we love him. (in a Brotherly way).
November 30th, 2009 at 11:42 am
Why is the AB’s so successful at their EOYT?
Because of the above.
The AB’s are doing what Tim Noakes has been suggesting for years…
Hows them apples Tackler?
November 30th, 2009 at 11:46 am
Bashed up a bit by the one and only Brussouw.
Richie congatulations on your POTY award which you didn’t *#$%^ deserve.
November 30th, 2009 at 11:50 am
It actually dawned on me yesterday…
Fourie is highly rated only in South Africa…
I cannot remember foreign press or commentators talking him up as the best in the world much, if at all throughout 2009…
November 30th, 2009 at 11:54 am
@who cares:
Keep chewing those sour grapes.
Or is it a lemon you are sucking?
Or a Leister pork pie perhaps?
November 30th, 2009 at 11:55 am
Well that is good news. No Richie for the Sharks game. Can they rest Carter too
We have to play them in NZ and that is hard enough as it is.
Boks need the whole of December to rest. None of this 3 week rest that I heard they are only going to get. Give them a 5 week rest before training for the S14.
November 30th, 2009 at 11:57 am
“McCaw to miss S14 openers”
Probably traumatised at the most ridiculous WPOTY decision since, well last year……
“I cannot remember foreign press or commentators talking him up as the best in the world much, if at all throughout 2009…”
Not true Pissant. Everyone in the NH realises him as the best 9 by the proverbial mile. However BOD was fully expected to recieve the award up here just like FDP was down south. The Mccaw decision has just removed all prestige the award had…..
November 30th, 2009 at 11:58 am
@Just Another Paddy:
I am not talking the best 9.
I think nobody will every dispute that.
I am talking the best rugby player in the world, which is what this award is about?
November 30th, 2009 at 12:00 pm
@PissAnt:
Playing behind a dominant Bulls and Bok pack he is magnificent.
However……… even my granny would do okay behind that lot.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:01 pm
@cane: Howdy Cane, Think the IRB are a year behind
That award to Richie should have been given to him last year. Well maybe FdP will get his next year or BOD as it should have been between those two my friend. They a year behind the times there 
Richie should have got it last year 100% for sure not this year.
Lemons Cannie, once swallowed become alkaline not sour
November 30th, 2009 at 12:04 pm
@cane:
I do not want to criticise Fourie because I think he is magnificent at 9, but yes, Fourie has game plan a, and not much after that.
I think realistically you are looking for a player to be labelled best in the world who adapts to any game situation, Fourie struggles a bit to do that – still a magnificent player and best 9 in the world currently, but I am actually thinking Heinrich Brussow is one player who performed excellently when the Boks were both dominant and beaten up front…
Just some food for thought.
I also though BOD had a fantastic year.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:10 pm
@cane: Cane, I hate to admit but I think you are right. Us Saffers are a bit prejudiced towards our man FDP but as you say he does go walkabout when the scrums are retreating a bit. I don’t rate his creativity at all in putting others into space at this moment in time, but that is only my opinion. He is still better than all the other scrumahlves out there playing international rugby.
Think SA does have some other potentially great scrumhalves though but they all tend to play in the same mould.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:11 pm
@PissAnt: ditto
November 30th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
@Just Another Paddy: 7 – First of all congrats to your team beating the Boks.
Yip, I said so too yesterday. By giving the ‘Player of the year Award’ to McCaW they have made a mockery of it. Really has devalued that award now. I wont take those awards serious ever again.
Will rather watch our own SA awards instead.
Should have been between FdP and BOD. Yes we down here in SA thought it was going to go to FdP. I was actually shocked to see McCaw getting it. Maybe because he should have won it the year before. Felt like it was a consolation to McCaw because he never got it the year before when he should have, because they messed it up then by giving it to SW.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:15 pm
@PissAnt:
I think the IRB should have a few more catogries in their Awards.
Best Newcomer……..Heinrich Brussow.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:17 pm
@Puma: Puma, its always going to be a controversial thing this award and I don’t place any credence around it.
For all you know they could have been judging performances from last year till mid this year in which case Richie had some outstanding performances and also showed his value in particular to the Crusaders when he was missing. I’ve never seen him put in a terrible performance. Consistency is his key.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
@Puma:
True Cougar, Ritchie should have recieved the Award last year.
And this year, Danny Boy should have been awarded it.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:19 pm
@cane: Sour grapes about who, Richie, I don’t think so. I always said someday he’s going to get his *** kicked on the rugby field which he did, not once but three times. How would you feel winning an award which you knew you don’t deserve, especially after getting your *** kicked.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Richie certainly did deserve it……
November 30th, 2009 at 12:25 pm
@Mary Lynn: What to get his *** kicked.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
This from the IRB site.
“The IRB Player of the Year is selected by the IRB Awards independent panel of judges, comprising former internationals with over 500 Test caps between them. Will Greenwood, Gavin Hastings, Raphaël Ibanez, Francois Pienaar, Agustin Pichot, Scott Quinnell, Tana Umaga, Paul Wallace and convenor John Eales watched over 63 hours of action from 49 matches, awarding points to the three players they thought stood out in each match.
Now then …………….lets face it. That is a panel that knows a thing or two about playing International Rugby.
Compare that to the Keo debating Panel.
Puma, PA, Banannarama, Paddy, cane and Who Cares.
It’s close I know!
But I’m going to stick my neck out and say…….The IRB Team have a slight edge.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Hold all tickets……………Mary Lynn has arrived.
The IRB Team is now relegated to 2nd.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
@who cares:
Your Team won “Team of the Year”.
Does nothing make you mothers happy?
November 30th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
@cane: Okay white flag up. Let us for get it.
Thinking of the S14 from now.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:44 pm
@cane: Agree Cane, They should have. We have it in our SA awards.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:45 pm
Who said I’m complaining about a SA not wining the award. Where have I mentioned that a SA player should have won it. Richie didn’t deserve it this year, you know it, I know it, everybody knows it.
November 30th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
puma you here bro??
November 30th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
@who cares: this is why i dont even argue about **** like this no more, just a waste of time
all would agree that riechie was not the best player in the world this year
November 30th, 2009 at 12:49 pm
richie
November 30th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
@Puma:
You are a man who shows a great deal of restaint.
Here on Keo, that is GOLD.
November 30th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
@who cares:
Not sure if Post 26 is directed at me or not, but WTF.
You only live once,
As I said………..”Nothing will ever make you mothers happy…”
November 30th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
yes who cares be nice to cane he also supports my sharks
November 30th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
@cane: Yeah but they don’t pay to watch the matches
November 30th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
@cane:
Only 63 hours?
Lazy ********.
November 30th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
Well done GH. This is called player management and ensuring that your most valuable players remain fresh for the big encounters.
November 30th, 2009 at 5:35 pm
@who cares: everybody doesn’t know it. The judges reviewed all the games and Ritchie came out on top .It doesn’t surprise me one iota. They did the maths and you are just trading opinions.
Even when his team is getting a pasting McCaw will still put in a man of the match performance unlike some others who shine when their team is shining.
Brussow is a fantastic player but even he is simply not as consistent at the highest level as McCaw is. McCaw has also been doing it since 2002 week in week out.
No player in the world has his incredible consistent form. He is the default player of the year almost every year.
November 30th, 2009 at 6:16 pm
A well deserved holiday for The King, no less.
November 30th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
@cane: @21
did you hear me clap from down there ?
OK, I’ll do it again.
November 30th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
@PissAnt: He’s missing three games at the START of the season — the blunt end, when a loss or two doesn’t matter much.
So, he’s got three months of off-season and three weeks of in-season to kick back. The rest period (leave on full pay) is a just reward for being the first man ever to be IRB Player of the Year twice.
Noakes and his crackpot 25 year old long-discredited theory is used to excuse the Boks EOYT total meltdown, but it fails to explain the AB’s unbeaten run on their EOYT or their scintillating 5 try rout of France in Marseilles with Richie just on top form.
Flat-earthers believe in Noakes.
November 30th, 2009 at 9:19 pm
@TheTackler:
Let’s see…
An academic, backed up not only by international sports personalities that competed at the highest level but also coaches who have coached at the highest level but also supported by his peers and scientific fact.
VS.
The Tackler…
It is about as much of a contest as the Boks vs. the All Blacks this year…
November 30th, 2009 at 10:59 pm
And the most important words in the statement above were “this year”. Role on 2010!
December 1st, 2009 at 3:17 am
Let’s all be friends and agree to disagree-well some of us anyway…
December 1st, 2009 at 1:11 pm
Watch Richie get his *** kicked again next year.
December 1st, 2009 at 2:58 pm
Do ‘rested’ players still get match fees? They are not missing the game out of choice, so they could argue that they would’ve made the team and thus due the fees? Or not?