48 hours: Hint of nerves emerges over McCaw captaincy

The supposed confirmation that Richie McCaw will be the new All Black captain came in large letters over the weekend, thanks to booming headlines, yet the fine print contained at least the hint of nervousness on the part of coach Graham Henry, along with get-out clauses.

As bold as the headlines were, it was impossible to find outright confirmation that, indeed, McCaw will succeed Tana Umaga.

Considering that McCaw, the vice-captain under Umaga, was the frontrunner anyway, then Henry's "unless something untoward happens ... he will be the front runner" was more a summer rugby blaze than a puff of white smoke from the New Zealand Rugby Union chimney.

"It's not set in concrete," was another phrase attributed to Henry, along with "it's obvious that Richie is the outstanding leading contender".

If this was the best a prospective employer could give most of us, you'd at least hesitate before firing off a resignation letter to the old boss.

If McCaw didn't have a continuing problem with headaches and tiredness, and wasn't such an outstanding openside that it is almost a crime to play him elsewhere, he should be a certainty in every mind.

The unsatisfactory prospect remains though that not only will the man earmarked to lead New Zealand at the 2007 World Cup make 11th-hour withdrawals from tests, but that his whole future is under a cloud.

As for McCaw's reported belief that his concussion problems are behind him, how on earth would he know? The summer hols are not exactly the ultimate test of these things.

As harsh as this is, the All Black captain needs to live in the trenches, and not constantly be dealing with the mysteries of the body and brain in the medical tent. If McCaw gets forced out of Crusaders matches, Henry will be forced to look elsewhere. The ink is far from dry on this deal.

Apart from these major head injury concerns, the latest of which removed McCaw from the only serious test of the Grand Slam tour against England a mere eight weeks ago, there has to at least be doubt about the test captain operating in the No 7 jersey.

We have had them in the past, notably the much-lauded Graham Mourie, yet Mourie was more an elegant link man than forager and destroyer.

Most opensides have not been leadership material. The combat merchants - Kevin Eveleigh, Michael Jones and Josh Kronfeld to mention a few from the past three decades - were all of independent traits and invaluable because they were so exceptional in them, not because of their unifying personalities or game.

McCaw will certainly lead by example, like no man in world rugby can at the moment. But the openside flanker has and will always be the man who operates most on the margins of the rules, a lone wolf.

In highly technical times, it has become a position fraught with the sort of difficulty that is often etched on the flabbergasted face of Marty Holah, as he emerges from the ground to the sound of a penalising whistle.

Should McCaw get on the wrong side of the referee during, say, a World Cup cliffhanger against France, South Africa, England or Australia, it could leave the All Blacks in dire trouble.

It would put him in direct debate with the referee, without the buffer of another voice for the referee to deal with. McCaw may also need to demand discipline from his troops, yet transgressions are at the centre of his art. It isn't ideal. The openside is also more constantly involved than any other player, and is taken to the greatest physical limit.

They certainly have even fewer seconds than anyone else for considered thought, and are not in a position where it is easiest to dictate tactics. And the last thing New Zealand needs is for McCaw's attention to be diverted from his primary and exacting job.

There is a possibility he could switch positions - at least during games - to No 8 or 6, although the call for the latter seems to be for greater height.

The big selection play of the year will probably be a move by Henry and Steve Hansen to give the returning Troy Flavell every possible chance to smash his way into the No 6 jersey.

As a man and in terms of his quality as a player, there is no doubt that McCaw is the best man to carry the captaincy burden. For a start, there are few others who would be guaranteed so much game time.

But it is the lack of another serious candidate that has pushed this brilliant footballer to the head of the pack.

Beneath yesterday's blazing and confidence-filled headlines lives another side to the story.

* Full marks to commentator Ian Smith for demanding that the Black Caps toughen up.

Our national cricket side have been too fragile for too long. Virtually every whiff of hope is followed by failure as a result.

Smith's call for an excess of fringe management characters to take a jump, so that they are not forever pandering to the players' niggles and doubts, is spot on.

What helps set the top Australian cricketers apart is their steel and our best cricket teams have always been full of fighters. The international arena is no place for the faint-hearted.

Smith himself played in an era where this country stood proudly behind a battle-hard team. They weren't all stars, or a superstar like Sir Richard Hadlee, but knew how to do a job and rolled up their sleeves to do it.

* Has anybody out there had 20/20 vision. Watching four balls of this Candy Floss Cricket involving Australia and South Africa was enough to to send me lunging for the off-button. And I have spent the past few days sprinting for cover whenever this laughable version of a great game has come into the vicinity.

On this subject, the classical musician's line that the pause between the notes is where the art resides will suffice. Test cricket has never been as exciting, and the one-day version provides enough thrills and spills.

The only worthy Twenty/20-type cricket takes place at venues like Mission Bay on a Saturday afternoon and involves Joe and Jane Blow and their enthusiastic kids. The finest cricketers should be left to more classical genres.

* Manchester City 3, the City of Manchester Stuffed - the end result of the weekend's football derby where City beat Manchester United 3-1.

If United had any hope of chasing down English premiership leaders Chelsea, it's all over now. Liverpool are remote chances but it is a sad case of Chelsea first, daylight second with the race only half done.