All Blacks: McCaw emotional after Eden Park send off

Richie McCaw waves to the crowd after being part of the Bledisloe Cup winning side. Photo / Getty

Richie McCaw isn't a man given over to emotional scenes but admitted he left the Eden Park pitch with a lump in his throat as the crowd stood as one to applaud him tonight.

His last test in New Zealand, his 142nd to create a world record, a thumping Bledisloe Cup victory after the disappointment of last weekend - it was nearly all too much for the man who must be considered one of the greatest All Blacks ever.

"I'm probably not a guy who gets too emotional, but there was a big lump in my throat, I can tell you," McCaw said. "It's hard to explain, but I didn't want it to stop, that feeling, that moment. It's a memory I'll always have and, even talking about it now, it sends a shiver down your spine. It was just awesome."

McCaw, presented with an embroidered jersey by coach Steve Hansen afterwards, was also moved to praise another veteran playing his final test in New Zealand, Dan Carter.

"I'm just pleased we gave him some decent ball to operate with for a start. It's not good when you're giving sloppy ball like we did last week. We gave him the opportunity to show what he can do.

"I don't think any of us who have played with him doubted he could perform like he did tonight. When you have a man like that directing, with how many tests he has played ... that confidence is a great thing to help that."

Hansen said of Carter: "He was special tonight, wasn't he? He was the Dan Carter of old. It will be huge for him because I think he'll get a lot of confidence out of it. He's got a smile on his face as wide as the Grand Canyon at the moment. He knows he's done the job and he's done it under pressure. He's been questioned by a lot of people and he stood up but, again, it's easy to do that when you're going forward.

"He cleared a lot of the stuff out of his head and we just asked him to direct the game - be dominant and run the game. From that moment, even in training - I thought on Thursday he trained as good as he has in four years - and he just carried it on."

Carter was outstanding in the No 10 jersey, but the night belonged to McCaw, who will leave for the World Cup in a more confident mood after taking part in a special final home test.