Still Part of the Team

The world’s “most influential player” All Black captain Richie McCaw signs again to 2015. McCaw recommitted to his country and the Canterbury Crusaders Super 15 team with a four-year contract that will allow him to take a playing sabbatical or a complete break from the sport if desired, the Wellington-based NZRU said. “I’ve always said that as long as I am enjoying playing footy in New Zealand then I will stay, and the fact is I still am,” McCaw said in an e-mailed statement. “There are still things I want to achieve as a player.” “Richie McCaw is the most influential player in world rugby right now,” All Blacks coach Graham Henry. “His on-field impact is immense, he’s an outstanding player who leads and inspires others by his actions.” McCaw, the only three-time winner of the International Rugby Board’s Player of the Year award, follows All Blacks and Crusaders fly-half Dan Carter in re-signing for another four years while retaining the option of a playing stint with an overseas club. The union has now re-signed 21 Test players as it seeks to maintain its stocks beyond the 2011 Rugby World Cup.