Richie McCaw is one of the greats of the modern game and has carved out a formidable reputation as arguably the best openside flanker in the world since emerging onto the international stage at only 20 years of age.

A master of the breakdown area, McCaw possesses the size and strength to be a formidable defender whilst displaying the speed and handling skills to excel in the loose. Added to great game-awareness and leadership prowess, McCaw is a complete player and the only man to have won the International Rugby Board's Player of the Year award twice - in 2006 and 2009.

After impressing at Under-19 and Under-21 levels, McCaw was handed his All Blacks debut against Ireland in Dublin on November 17, 2001 where he signalled his intent with an eye-catching performance as the tourists accounted for the hosts. McCaw quickly cemented his place in the All Blacks' ranks but it was at No.8 that he was preferred for the early part of his international career. He captained his country for the first time against Wales in 2004 when he was aged just 23 and was given the honour full-time in 2006. The modest McCaw is closing in on the mark of former captain Sir Wilson Whineray in the ranks with Sean Fitzpatrick the only other player to have led the All Blacks into more Test encounters.

McCaw played a key part in New Zealand's Tri-Nations triumphs in 2002 and 2003 and in doing so helped the All Blacks end the Wallabies' five-year Bledisloe Cup reign. The 2003 Rugby World Cup saw him cement his reputation as one of the rising stars of the game. McCaw produced some notable performance for the tournament favourites but eventually had to share in the disappointment as the All Blacks were undone by rivals and hosts Australia in the semi-finals.

The formidable loose forward made the switch to openside flanker in 2005, the same year the All Blacks accounted for the touring British & Irish Lions. That year saw the first of four successive Tri-Nations triumph for New Zealand with McCaw captaining the side to victory on the latter three occasions. This successful run also saw McCaw add the IRB Player of the Year award to his list of honours in 2006 after being a finalist in both the International Rugby Players Association and IRB awards in 2003 and again for the IRB in 2005. McCaw led the All Blacks into the 2007 Rugby World Cup where again they were favourites but again success on the sport's biggest stage evaded McCaw and his team.

With the prospect of McCaw joining the wave of New Zealanders moving overseas, the New Zealand Rugby Union signed their star player to a new contract in 2008 that secured his services through to the 2011 Rugby World Cup. McCaw's contract includes a sabbatical option allowing him the option to venture overseas but he insists he has no immediate plans to take it.

McCaw led the All Blacks to the Tri Nations title in 2008, before skippering the side to their third Grand Slam tour of the UK and Ireland in the autumn of 2008. At the end of the tour, McCaw made his debut for the Barbarians in an 18-12 defeat to Australia at Wembley Stadium. Knee injuries and a concussion limited his Super 14 contribution in 2009 and he also missed the June Tests against France and Italy. However, he returned to the All Blacks' ranks for the Tri-Nations opener against Australia in Auckland and steered his side to another unbeaten tour of Europe that climaxed with a demolition of France and another IRB Player of the Year award.

Although born and raised in Otago, McCaw's education took him to Lincoln University in Christchurch where he went on to represent Canterbury and the Crusaders. He led Canterbury to the NPC title in 2004 and then took the Crusaders to back-to-back Super 14 titles in 2005 and 2006 and then again in 2008.