The Real McCaw: Richie McCaw: The Autobiography

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Thanks for your comment. Glad you liked the review. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Enter your comment here Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: The pain and agony which the All Blacks went through in choking the important games of the World Cups since their win of the inaugural tournament in is very evident. They are explained in the eyes of a player who took part in two of the recent World Cups and on which the All Blacks were clear favourites to win the tournaments but fell apart half way through. From that struggle onward, the commitment given by McCaw, his team, the coaching and supporting staff around t What a book.

From that struggle onward, the commitment given by McCaw, his team, the coaching and supporting staff around them to eventually be victorious in the World Cup in front of their own fans, and that feeling of winning it after falling apart so many times was just awe-inspiring to read.

The game or the person? Chronological history of world class rugby player. Most sentences began with the letter I. Would have required a broader canvas to include contributions of family, friends and team mates. Don't know the Real McCaw after reading this book. Limited insight spoilers Was unsurprisingly written after World Cup in more like the first instalment where all the ground work is laid for the best team in the world to get better.

Would suggest reading Legacy first. Nov 15, Wesley Gerrard rated it it was amazing Shelves: Richie McCaw is the best rugby player of all-time. He is the most capped All-Black, and has had such an influence on the game of rugby during his playing career that this claim contains much truth.

This autobiography surprised me when it peered out of the shelf at a Welsh bookstore in Abergavenny as part of the closing down sale. As a New Zealand citizen, All Black supporter and former wing forward, it was essential reading for me. I think that autobiographies of any top sportsmen are worth read Richie McCaw is the best rugby player of all-time.

I think that autobiographies of any top sportsmen are worth reading and Richie McCaw's story is similar to other sporting greats in how he has dedicated himself to his passion. He seems such a well-balanced individual, a good all-rounder, with a nice temperament and a very rooted, down-to-earth personality.

I loved the way that the rugby stories of such high achievement are interspersed with the glider tales. From tours he immediately hits the Southern Alps to relax in his glider. It just sums up how a man at the top of his game is driven. To see the sport of rugby from Richie's eyes is a great honour and from his youth days to his super 12 club days to the test matches for the All Blacks, culminating in the winning RWC final in , the description of the matches are truly intriguing.

Everything is broken down to basics, beginning in preparation. His view on the game seems so simple yet at the same time is so rich in detail and complexity. I found this book truly exhilarating and it was a real page-turner. My only disappointment is that it could have been a lot longer and more detailed. I am also a bit sad that I cannot keep reading as I'm sure the next four years in the build up to World Cup will be a true journey also and where Richie should gain his second captain's Cup Winning medal.

It is truly inspirational and any rugby aficionado will enjoy turning the pages in it as fast as I did! This is a gripping autobiography, in part because it's bookended by two dramatic events - the shock Rugby World Cup quarter-final defeat of the favourites New Zealand by France when they seemed to be cruising into the last four and the Final in New Zealand when the once-more favourites clung on to achieve their only RWC Final victory since By which time Richie McCaw, beaten captain four years earlier, was playing with a broken foot.

This failure-to-triumph road is not unusual This is a gripping autobiography, in part because it's bookended by two dramatic events - the shock Rugby World Cup quarter-final defeat of the favourites New Zealand by France when they seemed to be cruising into the last four and the Final in New Zealand when the once-more favourites clung on to achieve their only RWC Final victory since This failure-to-triumph road is not unusual in sports biographies, nor is the small-town country boy-to-global-superstar progression. What makes this different is the man's enduring modesty and the depth of his commitment to a cause - overcoming the danger to his country's reputation as the world's No 1 rugby nation of being regarded as 'bottlers' on the World Cup stage.

In this respect it provides a fascinating insight into the psychology of sport at the highest level - but always informed by the reality of 'real' life: So the last section of the book, after the converted French try has meant the fourth-choice New Zealand fly-half's penalty has left them only one point ahead, ramps up the tension to an agaonising degree. Yes, you know the result but reliving it through the captain's eyes provides a directness that even the DVD would struggle to catch. May 28, Kellie rated it it was amazing.

This is a really great book! I loved it and any NZ rugby fan should read this book!

Writing Stuff, Thinking Things, Going Places

Richie McCaw is one of the greatest players of all time. His skill and leadership are unmatched. I mean any guy who can play so well in the RWC final on a broken foot has got to be super human! He also seems down to earth and just a very real, good kind of guy.

The book is mostly about his rugby career with splashes of his early life, family, and him non rugby interests. He tells you just enough about himself to This is a really great book! He tells you just enough about himself to satisfy but keeps enough out to still be mysterious. This book is about rugby and he doesn't stray too much from that.

Everything else he adds has some relevance to his rugby career. It is also very professional.

The Real McCaw : The Autobiography of Richie McCaw

He doesn't slander anyone but describes frustration in certain situations, which I find very decent of him considering some of those situations! Something that people often forget about the great Richie is that he was an accomplished academic at school, as well as being a freak rugby player. He's a smart guy, and Greg McGee is a fine writer. Consequently, the writing in this book is to a phenomenal standard, written in a way that few rugby books are.

The descriptions of his home in the early chapters are particularly stunning. I have actually used some of these in class as examples of quality writing. I have also used a chapter of the boo Something that people often forget about the great Richie is that he was an accomplished academic at school, as well as being a freak rugby player. Review quote 'His story is not just a brutal account of life on the front line, but an exhilarating portrait of modern rugby.

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