Scottish lay claim to our Richie

Scotland reckons McCaw should switch sides. Photo / Getty

All Black star Richie McCaw should swap the silver fern for the thistle, according to genealogy researchers.

New research, undertaken by Scotland's tourism agency and Glasgow's Mitchell Library, found McCaw had links to Ayrshire, in southwestern Scotland, through his great-great-great grandfather, Alexander McCaw.

Some of the flanker's links to Scotland were already well known, but the Scots say they've uncovered new detail about the All Black's ancestor - and they reckon, tongue in cheek, he "should be changing sides" even though rugby rules forbid the idea.

The Mitchell Library said Alexander McCaw came from Girvan, Ayrshire. The farmer was born on January 1, 1808, and emigrated to New Zealand in 1877.

The national tourism organisation VisitScotland presented the research to McCaw ahead of the weekend's test match in Edinburgh, in which the All Blacks scraped to a narrow 24-16 victory.

Mitchell Library senior archivist Dr Irene O'Brien said her team was able to find the passenger list which included Alexander McCaw, who left for New Zealand from Glasgow, at the Glasgow City Archives.

"It's not surprising to hear that Richie has roots back to Scotland, and in particular the rolling green hills, varied coastline and picturesque beaches of Ayrshire," VisitScotland chairman Mike Cantlay said.

"I wonder if he would consider pulling on the famous blue shirt?"

The Surname Database website said the McCaw name derived from an old Gaelic name, M'Adhamh, pronounced "M'Awyoe". The Gaelic prefix "mac" - meaning "son of" - was added to the personal name Adhamh, from the Hebrew meaning "Red Earth" and recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086.

In the 19th century, Scots formed the largest group of immigrants to Southland and to Otago, where McCaw was born.