KEY POINTS:
It is from adversity that the great achievers find strength within. Seeing failure with the naked eye is the most potent tonic.
Richie McCaw had disappointment shone in his face at the World Cup last year and didn't like it one bit. A glittering career was blemished and questions that he never thought would be asked were threatening to swamp him.
It was like the English tearing the Queen to shreds. New Zealanders wanted to know whether McCaw was the right man to captain the All Blacks.
A phenomenal talent, yes. A brilliant captain - no one was really sure. The doubt was cast on October 6, 2007 when the All Blacks were bundled out of the World Cup by a combination of classic Gallic passion and some seriously loose refereeing by a roast beef named Wayne Barnes who lost his nerve on the biggest night of his life.
Everything about the All Black performance that night felt wrong. The endless pick and drive, the refusal to set for a drop goal, the way Barnes strutted around like he owned the game.
The bridge on the All Black boat felt deserted, the ship left to drift on to rocks. A second opinion a few months later confirmed the initial diagnosis.
The independent review into the World Cup concluded: "In the dying minutes of that critical game, the leadership model failed to deliver what was its most important objective - decisions which give the best chance of winning the game. The team failed to ensure that the right decisions were taken. As with the philosophy underpinning the leadership model, the players, coaches and management must take responsibility for that."
McCaw had his national treasure status challenged. Debate even broke out about who should replace him. Thankfully, as it turned out, McCaw didn't pay any heed. His only guidance as to his next move came from within - that burning desire to prove his worth as a leader was all he listened to.
He had support from re-appointed coach Graham Henry and that was it, McCaw was back at the helm with a new-found determination to become an iconic All Black captain.
To remove any doubt about the strength of his conviction, he signed an extended contract through to 2011. In just 13 months, McCaw has made massive strides towards his goal.
"I feel like I am better now than I was 12 to 18 months ago," he said. "Experience definitely makes you stronger. You learn to trust your gut instincts a lot more and be more confident in yourself. It also helps that when you try a few things and they come off, you grow in confidence from that."
McCaw's reservoir of confidence, however, is being mostly sourced from his playing performances. He's from the school of thought that says his first priority is to command the jersey and take care of his own role.
If he's playing well, certain he is on top of everything, then leading others becomes that little bit easier.
It wasn't as if McCaw played badly in 2007, it was just that his form wasn't quite at its peak - where it is now.
The conditioning programme may well have extended his career by another year and was a factor in him deciding to stay in New Zealand but it didn't do him any favours at the time it was supposed to benefit him.
McCaw is an instinctive player. His craft is all about timing and sensing things before they happen. The difference between McCaw and his peers is not just his stamina, strength over the ball and speed across the ground - it is his reading of the game, his ability to time his strike to perfection.
In 2007, he wasn't given enough football to find his rhythm and he went from brilliant to very good as a result. His confidence slightly knocked by the marginal downgrade of his own form, his captaincy wasn't as authoritative as he would have liked.
"The first thing you have to do is perform. It depends on the type of leadership you are after but if you are performing to a high standard, the other stuff, the peripheral stuff, will all follow.
"So if you get into situations and you believe in what you are trying to do, you don't panic, you stay composed. It's not as if you panicked before, it's just you know what works and you get a better feel for what is going on. It is the little things, the subtle little things that can make the difference."
To see McCaw now, there is no sense of him ever having been uncertain in his own leadership. He's learned the art of staring at referees, of having a quiet word in their ear and letting them know when he's displeased.
His decision-making in terms of the tactical implementation is much improved, too, and helped enormously by the growth of those around him such as Dan Carter, Ali Williams, Rodney So'oialo and Mils Muliaina.
McCaw is becoming the new Sean Fitzpatrick, the man everyone wants to see there, eyeballing opponents and yet ensuing a calm all around him.
As Henry said earlier this year, it takes time for captains to learn their business, to feel confident in their role. Fitzpatrick was no overnight success; he too had his critics in the early days before he found his feet.
McCaw as a captain is almost unrecognisable now compared with 13 months ago. It has been more revolution than evolution in terms of his development and the real excitement is that McCaw still has some way to go on his journey. His appetite to play and keep improving is not going to diminish any time soon.
"I have asked myself why it is that I keep playing the game," he said. "And it is because I love training hard all week to test myself against the best.
"I love the competition and the best part of being captain is that you see how your influence can help other guys perform."
