Sporting achievements of the year: Richie McCaw still leading from the front

Richie McCaw salutes the crowd at Millennium Stadium after his 100th game as All Blacks captain. Picture / Getty Images

We’re running nominees for the Herald’s sporting achievement of the year and will announce the winner on Saturday.

There was almost perfect symmetry in Richie McCaw making history by being the first player to captain his team in 100 tests when he led the All Blacks out against Wales at Millennium Stadium last month.

It was there 10 years earlier that he made his debut as All Blacks skipper, a test which his side almost lost.

In reflecting on his achievement during the build-up to the 34-16 victory over the Welsh, McCaw said he had no idea what he was doing all those tackles, breakdowns, and most significantly, victories ago in 2004.

The All Blacks have won 89 of the 100 tests with McCaw as skipper.

"At the time I'd only had half a dozen games as captain of Canterbury and I thought 'that's enough, it can't be that much harder', but you look back on the lessons you've been through, the ups and downs, and ... you wonder how you survived."

McCaw has gone on to become, in the eyes of many, the All Blacks' greatest player and captain.

His influence over the team during the 2011 World Cup, when he played on one foot - the other, famously, broken - cannot be underestimated.

With Dan Carter creating a shockwave throughout the nation when pulling out of the tournament with a groin injury, the loss of McCaw as well would have been catastrophic.

His calmness under fire is extraordinary and a big reason the All Blacks have become so good at getting out of tight tests on the right side of the ledger.

The players under him say they feel there is no option but to lift their game when they see McCaw's work-rate at close quarters. And the confidence he inspires when the clock is running down also allows teammates to play their natural, attacking games.

McCaw's longevity is all the more remarkable given his position and the way he plays the game. It was that disregard for his personal safety which impressed All Blacks coach Steve Hansen when he spotted him playing for Otago Boys' High in his position as Canterbury Rugby's academy manager.

Hansen said last month: "There was something about him from day one where he had the courage to go into the dark places."

No matter the punishment McCaw has received over the years, by fair means or foul, that has never changed.

And from modest beginnings as far as his captaincy at the top level is concerned, his legacy as a leader must also be considered a class apart.

Richard McCaw

Age: 33
Tests: 137 (100 as captain)
Test starts: 131 (6 as sub)
Test tries: 25
Test record: 121 victories, 14 losses, 2 draws
All Blacks debut: 2001 v Ireland in Dublin (age 20)
All Blacks test captaincy debut: 2004 v Wales in Cardiff (age 23).

Nominees so far
• Eric Murray and Hamish Bond (rowing)
• Anton Cooper and Sam Gaze (mountain biking)
• The All Blacks
• Sam Webster, Ethan Mitchell and Eddie Dawkins (sprint cyclists)
• Lydia Ko (golf)
• Valerie Adams (shot put)

Milestone
• Brendon McCullum c Dhoni b Khan 302
775 minutes, 559 balls, 32 fours, 4 sixes.