Throughout the World Cup, McCaw stayed hush on his future and said he was simply concentrating on the task at hand.
Asked whether he would throw away his running shoes or relax his diet once he retired, McCaw said he had not thought much about how he would reward himself.
"To be honest, I've been really tough on myself in terms of not looking past today," he said after the final.
"But I am going to enjoy not worrying about those sorts of things.
"I love going for a run because it makes you feel good, but nice not having to. Not having in the back of your mind every day, 'what do I need to do' to make sure I'm right for whatever down the track."
The flanker, who was born-and-raised on a farm in Kurow, will end his international career with a record 148 tests - as well as the first-time feat of winning the World Cup back-to-back.
We've compiled a list of staggering stats from McCaw's test career:
32 percent
Of the All Blacks' 412 victories since 1903, McCaw has been on the field for 32 percent of them. 130 wins in black to be exact.
148
The most number of tests by any player in rugby history. 109 of those as captain are a record. His 130 wins are also a record.
37
The number of tests McCaw has missed since his debut on November 17, 2001.
37
That's how many tests he has played against Australia, the most by one player against an opposition. Just six of those were defeats.
132
The number of players to make their All Blacks' debut since McCaw's first test in 2001.
10
The number of times he's lifted the Bledisloe Cup as All Blacks captain. He's also lifted four Tri Nations titles, three Rugby Championships and two World Cups.
2
McCaw has lost just two tests on home soil of the 61 he played in New Zealand.
3
Number of times he has been awarded World Rugby player of the year.
8
Number of nominations for World Rugby player of the year. Twice as many as the next best - Dan Carter.
18
The number of different teams he has played a test against (including the British and Irish Lions). The only two nations in the top 20 he has never faced is Uruguay and USA (though he toured USA last year).
39
Number of grounds McCaw has played a test on.
12
The number of times McCaw has travelled to South Africa to play a test match. He's also made the same number of tours to the Northern Hemisphere for end of year trips or World Cups.
68
The All Blacks' winning percentage in those tests without McCaw. They won 19, lost 7 and drew one when he didn't take the field since his debut.
3
Of his 15 defeats in the All Blacks jersey, only three times was the loss by double figures. The largest being the 38-21 loss to England in 2012. The next biggest defeat was the 22-10 World Cup semifinal loss to Australia in 2003. He's been in seven defeats by three points or less.
30
The number of times McCaw has been replaced in his 148 tests. Only nine of those have been in the last four years, during the 'twilight' of his career. He's also come off the bench seven times in total.
4
Has only lost tests to four nations - Australia (6), South Africa (6), England (2) and France (1).
5
In the classic six degrees of Kevin Bacon game, we came up with how many moves it would take to get from McCaw to Colin Meads. It only took five...
1 McCaw made his debut against Ireland in 2001, starting on the wing that day - Jonah Lomu
2 Lomu made his debut against France in 1994, starting on the other wing was John Kirwan
3 Kirwan made his debut against England in 1985, starting hooker was Andy Dalton
4 Dalton played beside Bryan Williams in the 1978 season.
