- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
Richie McCaw was southern bred and has true Kiwi credentials. No matter how successful in the rugby world he became he remained unattached to the status and ego.
Humility is often spoken about as being some amazing quality. It’s as if those who commend it hope that those surrounding them have the quality bestowed upon them, while they themselves remain materialistic, ambitious and self-serving. It’s just an observation
There’s often some interpretation within a word. After all, we are more evolved and multi-faceted than the noise we make through the spoken word. Perhaps that’s why poetry and lyrics from a song can paint a picture with more clarity and depth.
When I say McCaw is humble I mean from a deep, holistic place with the meaning of the word. An unimportance on status, and by definition the dictionary describes it as “A low view of one’s importance.”
For me, it’s being the pure essence not too short of a deity and expressing your talent, beauty without the ego. And if that is all mixed within a concept where deities may exist then even McCaw knows, despite his powers, there’s much more growth to be obtained and humility forms.
(AP Photo/Rick Rycroft)
Steve Hansen has often said better people make better All Blacks. This isn’t a marketing slogan, he does genuinely believe it, and he is correct. Part of the success for the All Blacks arises from a country that truly backs them, and a rugby organisation that also does. So better people make better clubs and that flows into the Super franchises which feeds the All Blacks.
I do like the Zen philosophies. More from a place stripped of any religious themes and quite simply being at one with the moment, he was so Zen! In that kind of way – under pressure, at the beach, playing rugby…
McCaw shows those Zen qualities, and a bit more. He shows a lot of spiritual prowess too, consciously or unconsciously? Doesn’t really matter in a way, as he’s delivering.
On the tenacity front, McCaw has shown to be able to perform with nothing in the tank. It takes some deep determination to go to that level. Every professional rugby player can go there, but it’s proceeding deeper than your opposition, and knowing you can.
McCaw’s broken foot at the 2011 Rugby World Cup showed his physical strength and what one can do if you truly focus. He ran around on a broken foot. If he was to leave the field against the French in the final, the All Blacks would probably have lost. Any other day McCaw would’ve had the wisdom to leave the field and honour the body, but that day was not any day, and he knew he had to be there.
New (Photo: AFP)
It is often not the problem in your life that gives you the most pain but your reaction and your thoughts towards it. Once McCaw accepted that he had to remain there, a big part of his problem was resolved: accepting, not fighting and not in denial.
If one can accept the situation without the harsh thoughts then the predicament won’t seem so bad. I can’t help but think of Quade Cooper here and his perplexity when playing against the All Blacks in New Zealand.
McCaw also feels his way through a game. He’s meticulous prior, but during the match, he trusts his senses. I’ve often seen the reaction of Stephen Moore when he’s confronted with the decision to take the three points or kick for the touchline.
When the pressure has mounted through the media that Moore should take the three points, I can almost sense it running through his thought process. The indecision and the past baggage weighing on his thoughts.
One can often feel the momentum of a side, and a team can fully have it. Murray Mexted in commentary once called it “the psychic energy”. McCaw feels this and goes with his senses, and he also keeps it simple.
In the heated moments when controversy followed McCaw, like the Zen master his response was: “is that so?” Reaction and rage can fuel what is. You want the best outcome, not to prove your ego is right.
McCaw’s mental fortitude took him to great heights. When someone gets closer to mastering some of the deeper qualities in life, then the magic returns to their reality; like a reflection of their qualities, and letting them know where they’re at.
McCaw signing off as a double Rugby World champion was a perfect reflection of the finesse, hard work, Zen equilibrium, and heart put in.
Though the journey always continues; always evolving, never still.
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.