The Real McCaw: The Autobiography

Richie McCaw, New Zealand's All Blacks rugby captain was described by Heyneke Meyer, the coach of South Africa, one of the All Black's greatest rivals, as "probably the best player who ever played rugby" In most pictures, McCaw's gaze is cheerful but the cover of his autobiography shows the intensity and the hardness he brings to the game. In The Real McCaw, The Autobiography, the first chapter tells of his foundation and the beginning of Richie McCaw's determination to be a great all black. Goal setting and visualization became a major part of his life. He figured out the preparation he needed to succeed and followed through. His preparation, even today, includes writing instructions to himself in a notebook. They begin with the words "Start again" and end with the letters G.A.B. a reminder that, ever since he was a boy, he aspired to be a Great All Black. McCaw was in charge of a side that hadn't been beaten for 15 months. In that time he also ended the losses of one World Cup after another for New Zealand when, in October 2011, he captained the All Blacks to victory. The fact that he played the last three matches with broken bones in his foot provided Paul Ackford (Sunday Telegraph) with the back cover blurb "Better on one leg during the World Cup than most players on two." The chapters leading up to, and including, the World Cup gave an inside look at a brutal contact sport and the mind of the rugby captain leading the All Blacks. Subsequent chapters touch on his love of gliding, flying in general, the love for his family and the heartache after the earthquake in Christchurch, his home. If you're looking for an expose'of his love life you won't get it in this book. This is not a tell all book on the people he knows or the women he's dated. It is a book about a humble man at the top of his sport who has achieved all of his rugby goals. Also, it's about a man who believes in the morality of following rules. He is a G.A.B 24-7. I would recommend this book to anyone, not just to rugby fans.

Enjoyed reading this autobiography from Richie McCaw and have a better understanding of All Black rugby. Just a pity it ends in 2011.

This is a great book. It's exciting, honest and sensitive. I really enjoyed reading about all the rugby matches or interviews I'd watched on tv and reading things from a different point of view, say from perhaps the Australian media. I remember watching the All Blacks quarter final against France in 2007 and being shocked and devastated for them but this really illuminates all the plays and thoughts of every minute of the game, which I found really fascinating. This is obviously for rugby enthusiasts but I really enjoyed it as an autobiographical tale too.Such a passion for life, his family, flying and rugby make Richie not just a G.A.B but seemingly also an incredibly decent and lovely human being. New Zealand are lucky to have him on their team. A great uplifting, inspiring read!

McCaw is a "Star" in the eyes of the rather small world of Rugby "followers" and "fanatics". His story reveals what it takes in world-level competition to "tough it out" to ultimate and persistent success. He is one of the "great" forwards of the game, and in his story he reveals the self doubt, the struggles against injury, and a surprisingly high level of self understanding. His tales of sailing in a glider over the Southern Alps of New Zealand add more "spice to an adventurous life. The core of the story he tells is the self-examination of what it is like to struggle and ultimately win by a narrow margin against a strong French team in the World Cup finals of 1911.

I know very little about rugby since I come from a non-rugby country. I discovered the All Blacks because of the Haka and then I discovered their Captain and he intrigued me. This book gives great insight to what goes on in the head of a great rugby player. It is mostly about his rugby life and not so much private stuff. Still a very nice book.

A very candid book by arguably the greatest sports captain to have ever lived. Offers some insights about what rugby means to all Kiwis as people

As a South African that was in New Zealand for the RWC11 that booked my tickets for all seven games a year up front it was such a proud moment to see the cup being lifted by Richie and the All blacks. A team that I admired and hated many times giving the bokke a hard time but special memories watching the bokke clashing against the all backs on tv with my dad in the eighties as a laaitie. Well deserved and great book on Richie's life and a inside look at the All Black machine.

This book is a must read for any All Black fan, it is a good read for rugby fans, however give it a miss if you are just a sports fan. There is far too much play by play descriptions of great All Black moments, but he does share his passion and love of the game with the reader. Unfortunately, he also shares his passion for flying gliders. This takes up way too much of the book. I bought this book because I like the way Richie plays rugby, not for his descriptions of New Zealand countryside as he glides over it.

Excellent, well worth a read if you are a rugby fan, I finished the booking hoping there would be a sequal! If you are wanting just an insight into Richies personal life you will be a bit disappointed, he does obviously give a little bit of personal information about himself but rightly so manages to keep detailed information about his personal life outside of the All Blacks to just enough to give you an insight into who he is as a person contributing to him as Captain of the All Blacks. One thing I really like about Richie McCaw is his level headed ability to keep life in perspective and not let the fame of being Captain of the All Blacks interfere with who he is as a person off the field. The book does talk of Richies love for piloting glider planes, as someone who has a love of flying this side of the book was a bonus for me and inspired me to want to go in a glider one day,. Being an All Blacks supporter my motivation behind the read was I interested to know what gives the All Blacks that extra something special many other teams have so far not even come close to matching. If this is your reason for reading the book you will not be disappointed by what Richie has to say about being, acting and playing as part of a team.

Having followed Richie McCaw's career over the last 15 odd years I was keen on getting my hands onto his auto biography. I'm having a one-sided view cause I'm a fan and a huge AB supporter. The man is great, the book is good - gives a good inside view into the ABs and some interesting views on modern day Rugby. Richie shares a lot of personal matters with us and reveals some behind the scene infos which are extremely interesting for the vivid follower of the mighty All Blacks. The whole show re AB-coaching-jobs after the 2007 RWC and its subsequent outcome is becoming so much clearer after reading this book - with Richie taking a clear stand, without saying too much. The whole book is about commitment, performance and loyalty. Values which are a too rare commodity these days. Richie is pretty short-lipped when it comes to his deeds and achievements but describes means and measures to get there in detail. Never too shy to admit own weakness and a steep learning curve. A true modern day hero - who managed to defy the call of the pound, euro and yen, who stayed loyal to his union and country and who managed to stay close to his roots - being a child of the southern ranges.

The tracking and reporting mechanism of Amazon has proven to be quite good, again this time. The product of course is an individual choice. But, the reviews, in general, are very helpful in making a choice.

Richie is a man not given to verbosity and likewise in this book he keeps his thoughts concise and to the point. There is a good amount of background into his development through the early years but primarily his focus is on the period between the 2007 and 2012 world cup finals. He describes the self reflection he went through after the shock of that quarter final loss in Cardiff (typical of the man not to blame the referee, unlike 4 million Kiwis in NZ). His views on that loss and the holes in the All Black's preparation that left them with no winning options other than scoring tries are a lesson for all coaches of any sport "Be prepared for anything". This book is a must for any rugby player, coach or armchair fan that wants to learn something about the mindset of the best player in the modern era (if not ever) in world rugby.

Very clear insight of a player's real life and an interesting view point of the All Blacks Environment in the Professional rugby era