Richie McCaw retirement: New Zealand captain to call it a day this week after leading All Blacks to second straight Rugby World Cup win

McCaw will hang up his boots after a record 148 Tests for the All Blacks

Jack de Menezes

Monday 16 November 2015 12:30 GMT

Richie McCaw is set to announce his retirement this week (Getty Images)

Richie McCaw has made a decision over his future after leading New Zealand to a second consecutive Rugby World Cup crown, with the All Blacks legend set to retire from the game completely.

There had been a suggestion that after a record 148 Tests – 111 of which came as captain of his country – McCaw could delay the inevitable and play on. At the age of 34 years old, there was also the possibility that McCaw could end his international career but move to the northern hemisphere to land one last pay day with an Aviva Premiership club or Top 14 side in France.

But it looks as though the flanker has elected to call time on his career, and he is expected to announce on Thursday that he will retire immediately having become the first ever player to skipper his country to Rugby World Cup glory on two occasions as well as become the first side to retain the Webb Ellis Cup.

Rugby World Cup team of the tournament

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1/15Rugby World Cup team of the tournament

Rugby World Cup team of the tournament

15. Ben Smith (New Zealand)

He did not look quite so special sitting on the naughty step, watching the Wallabies resurrect themselves against an understaffed silver-ferned defence, but the Otago full-back was the quintessence of All Black rugby: bold, skillful and too clever for words. Silver medal: Ayumu Goromaru (Japan)

2015 Getty Images

Rugby World Cup team of the tournament

14. Santiago Cordero (Argentina)

Far from complete – witness his difficulties in contact on semi-final day against Australia – but the 21-year-old from Buenos Aires was one of those most responsible for the new Puma style. A broken-field specialist who breaks the field on his own. Silver medal: Adam Ashley-Cooper (Australia)

2015 Getty Images

Rugby World Cup team of the tournament

13. Conrad Smith (New Zealand)

Understated? That’s an understatement. But genius of the quiet kind is still genius – watch his role in creating the opening try in the final – and as he winds down, he joins Gerber, Sella, Guscott, Umaga and O’Driscoll in the pantheon. Silver medal: Marcello Bosch (Argentina)

2015 Getty Images

Rugby World Cup team of the tournament

12. Ma’a Nonu (New Zealand)

If he’d done only what it said on the tin, he’d have been easier to handle. Unfortunately for his opponents, his skill set ran wider and deeper than popularly assumed. Big plays in big matches from a very big bloke. Silver medal: Matt Giteau (Australia)

2015 Getty Images

Rugby World Cup team of the tournament

11. D T H Van der Merwe (Canada)

Who? Let’s put it this way: if those All Black wings were on Easy Street, living life on the front foot and gorging on opportunities created by a stellar midfield, this fellow performed loaves-and-fishes miracles in a very limited team. Silver medal: Julian Savea (New Zealand)

2015 Getty Images

Rugby World Cup team of the tournament

10. Dan Carter (New Zealand)

There were rich pickings in this position – Dan Biggar, Nicolas Sanchez, Bernard Foley – but who could seriously dispute that the millionaire performances came from the best outside-half of the professional era. His drop goals alone were worth a king’s ransom. Silver medal: Dan Biggar (Wales)

2015 Getty Images

Rugby World Cup team of the tournament

9. Greig Laidlaw (Scotland)

A goal-kicking general in the French tradition, the captain emptied himself in an effort to keep his side in a tournament many feared might end depressingly quickly. But for some poor refereeing, he’d have made it to the last weekend. Silver medal: Fourie du Preez (South Africa)

2015 Getty Images

Rugby World Cup team of the tournament

1. Marcos Ayerza (Argentina)

He would cringe at the thought of the comparison, but the Puma loose-head specialist is the Dan Carter of his position. A master front-rower with an artistic streak, how does he play Bach on the piano with those fingers? Silver medal: Mihail Nariashvili (Georgia)

2015 Getty Images

Rugby World Cup team of the tournament

2. Shota Horie (Japan)

Japan weren’t meant to be able to scrummage and nobody gave them a prayer at the line-out, so the hooker must have been doing a hell of a lot right during the pool stages. He could throw a pass, too. Silver medal: Agustin Creevy (Argentina)

2015 Getty Images

Rugby World Cup team of the tournament

3. W P Nel (Scotland)

Agreed, he’s a South African from the Northern Cape rather than a Scot from the highlands, but he worked wonders for the blue-shirted front row. A genuine scrum-breaker and durable with it, he gave his side the platform they craved. Silver medal: Manasa Saulo (Fiji)

2015 Getty Images

Rugby World Cup team of the tournament

4. Brodie Retallick (New Zealand)

Crikey, what a player. The man from Rangiora out-ran, out-jumped, out-carried, out-tackled, out-rucked and out-thought his rivals. Scariest of all, he could be the mother lode figure in the New Zealand pack for two more World Cup cycles at least. Silver medal: Kane Douglas (Australia)

2015 Getty Images

Rugby World Cup team of the tournament

5. Leone Nakarawa (Fiji)

Rugby athleticism made flesh. Some of his open-field running beggared belief, especially when the Pacific islanders took Wales to the limit of their endurance in Cardiff, and the technical aspects of his game were almost as impressive. A star turn. Silver medal: Alun Wyn Jones (Wales)

2015 Getty Images

Rugby World Cup team of the tournament

6. Scott Fardy (Australia)

If the Wallabies had gone the whole way, the blind-side flanker would have deserved a specially-minted medal all of his own for services rendered in the face of widespread ignorance. His contribution went unrecognised by too many for too long. Silver medal: Michael Leitch (Japan)

2015 Getty Images

Rugby World Cup team of the tournament

7. Richie McCaw (New Zealand)

He does not lord it over his rivals as he once did: it could be argued that Francois Louw, Michael Hooper and Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe matched him blow for blow. But once again, he was the last man standing. Silver medal: Francois Louw (South Africa)

2015 Getty Images

Rugby World Cup team of the tournament

8. David Pocock (Australia)

Head, shoulders, waist and knees above the other 8s in the tournament, performing the role in an unorthodox but highly effective fashion. A prime example of a deep thinker away from the game bringing depth of thought to his rugby. Silver medal: Taulupe Faletau (Wales)

2015 Getty Images

New Zealand Rugby [NZR] chief executive Steve Chew admitted that McCaw delayed his own personal decision for the benefit of the team so that his future did not become the biggest talking point through the World Cup.

"He wanted to go into 2015 and enjoy playing the year without really worrying about whether everything he did was the last time he did it. He didn't want the team distracted by that and now he has asked for a little bit more time before finally making a decision and announcement.

"He won't be too far away from getting to that point and if we give him a little more space and have a little more patience we'll all be rewarded with the ultimate answer shortly."

McCaw looks a certainty to be knighted in the not too distant future after helping New Zealand become the first nation to win the Rugby World Cup three times ahead of southern hemisphere rivals Australia and South Africa, with the 34-17 victory over the Wallabies in the Twickenham final set to be McCaw’s farewell moment.

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