Wynne Gray: McAwesome record for McAwesome player

Richie McCaw and Kieran Read. Photo / Getty Images.

Opinion

Richie McAwesome. Absolutely. Love the ads, fairly happy with the way the All Blacks skipper goes about his real work, too.

He'll lead his team out of the Twickenham tunnel tomorrow for the start of his 135th test and all the intrigue about whether the All Blacks will continue their recent mastery against England.

McCaw was quizzed this week about his longevity in the game. Perhaps the English media were trying to find a weakness that few of their players have discovered.

The answer was not soothing to any opponent's ears.

He's got no intention of handing in his blacker than black (yeah right) jersey.

While he was playing to standards he set himself he had no intention of leaving the test stage.

His focus was on the job tomorrow and wearing the No 7 jersey and leading the All Blacks when they defend their World Cup crown next season.

A shade over three years ago we saluted McCaw when he became the first All Black to reach 100 test caps and now he's gone past Pinetree's record for most appearances.

It's continuing proof of McCaw's multi-layered attributes.

His physical capacity is matched by his mental strength to deal with a mounting array of off-field inquiries while he remains the talismanic leader of the team.

Why stop, he inquires, when his form is strong and his love for the game and the All Blacks is as vibrant as ever.

Who knows what the All Blacks selection plans are or how injuries intrude in the rest of the tour.

Let's say McCaw keeps his game ticking over from the bench against Scotland and then leads his team out for the last test of the year against Wales.

He will head for summer, his gliding, his bagpipes and as much private downtime as he can get after 137 internationals.

Next year the All Blacks have five tests (Samoa, Argentina, South Africa and two against Australia) before they could play a possible seven in a World Cup campaign.

Let's imagine that happens and McAwesome appears in every match.

He will reach 149 test appearances to jump well clear of Brian O'Driscoll's world record 141 test high.

Would one more test in 2016 make McCaw's career any more exceptional?

We know the answer and have done for some time. Bloody McAwesome.