Rugby: Richie McCaw's last long hurrah

Richie McCaw will likely be the only All Black at the World Cup who hasn't confirmed his post-tournament plans. Photo / Greg Bowker

It's not usual for All Black captain Richie McCaw to accept different treatment. His leadership philosophy is built on the notion of equity - of never asking his team-mates to do something he wouldn't be prepared to do himself.

But this year, there will be inequity in one specific regard - there will be 30 All Blacks at the World Cup who have declared their post-tournament intentions and one who most likely won't have.

The pressure has been put on those in the frame to go to England to sort out and declare their hand in regard to their plans for 2016 and beyond. The New Zealand Rugby Union doesn't want any All Blacks distracted by business that can easily be taken care of much earlier in the year.

That was an issue in 2007 - some players were considering offshore moves at the tournament and, while it wasn't major, it was enough to be flagged as a problem when that disappointing campaign was reviewed.

That one player not required to be specific in his thinking this year will of course be McCaw. He has said it's not in his thinking to play overseas and that everyone can forget speculation from France that he's heading there. He's strongly hinted without being explicit that he will most likely retire after the World Cup.

But for all that he's hinted at retirement, he hasn't confirmed it. He hasn't said anything definitive about his future, and the door, ever so slightly, is ajar.

McCaw has left room to reassess in November and not be open to accusations of changing his mind or not knowing it.

By continuing to be non-committal, he has prevented the scenario of this year being dominated by early valedictories and questions at every ground on account of it being his last appearance. Given he has played test football for 15 years, it would be a long and frustrating goodbye - the same themes, the same questions, the same intense focus on one man.

And nowhere would that emotion hang more heavily than at the World Cup. The hard part for everyone to realise is the size of this impending World Cup - the size of audience, global reach, media contingent, fans and commercial stretch.

England 2015 will elevate rugby to unprecedented heights. For some players, it could be overwhelming.

It's not that McCaw can't handle himself or wouldn't be able to cope with the endless attention and focus.

But if he doesn't need to, why bring it on himself? Why add to the difficulty factor of winning back-to-back World Cups - and the first one outside of New Zealand?

"We have said all along that we want all the guys who are in contention to be going to the World Cup to be done [contracted or declared] well in advance," says NZRU chief executive Steve Tew.

"But I think he [McCaw] has given everyone a pretty clear steer without closing the door on his future and I think if anyone has earned a deep breath around that, it is probably Richie. I don't think he will be distracted by not knowing what he is going to be doing going forward. But we can't force any of them to decide before they go - we have made that pretty clear."

Regardless of outcome at the World Cup, the prevailing view is that McCaw will confirm his retirement after the tournament. The door might be ajar, but surely he won't be persuaded to nudge it open?

He'll be 35 and in possession of a body that will have been battered like no other. The mental demands he's endured in the past five years alone would have been enough to sink almost any other player and it will seem like absolutely the right time to sign off.

But is there a little part of him desperate to win one last Super Rugby title with the Crusaders before he exits? He'll have no more All Black business after the World Cup, but to have one last campaign with the Crusaders - to be able to give them something back ... and give his last six months of professional rugby to a team he hasn't always been able to play for as much as he would have liked ... is that in his thinking?

It's a long shot. Not inconceivable, unlikely ... but not beyond the realms of possibility.