* One of the champion flankers of any era, able to segue from an out-and-out ball-winner to a hard tackling, intelligent ball carrier while remaining the most influential player on the park;
* A country boy, born and bred in North Otago, educated in Dunedin and rugby schooled in Canterbury;
* A keen glider pilot, inspired in part by his grandfather's aviation background that included intercepting V1 flying bombs targeted at London during World War II;
* A private person.
It is this final point that makes McCaw, from a media standpoint, a relatively tough nut to crack.
What you see might not necessarily be what you get with McCaw, but it's all he's going to give you.
His press conference performances are masterclasses in indifference. Questions can be met with a dismissive shrug of the shoulders and a stock-standard response.
The only thing missing is a thought-bubble enclosing the sentence: "Why do you guys keep asking me the same stuff when you know the answer you're going to get?"
About the most revealing utterance McCaw has made in interview form came from this 2006 interview with a British paper, in which he talked about his antipathy towards fame.
"I grew up on a farm down south and coming from my background, I never imagined it would be like that, but what can you do about it? New Zealand is a pretty small place and rugby is put up on a pedestal here and it would be nice sometimes to go to the shops or for a beer without anyone coming up to you. But every time I think that, I ask myself, 'Well, would I rather be doing anything else?' And the answer is always 'no'."
So he keeps doing it. Keeps getting bashed up on a weekly basis while playing the most physically demanding position in sport; keeps fronting up, as captain, to sponsor engagements, press calls, team meetings and autograph signings. All while managing the difficult balancing act of retaining a semblance of privacy.
According to someone who has worked closely with McCaw, he sometimes gives the impression he can't understand what all the fuss is about.
Well Richie, this is what the fuss is. You're about to become the first New Zealander to play 100 tests in our national sport.
Even if the vast majority hadn't been played at a near super-human standard, it would still be a staggering physical achievement.
That they were makes it even more momentous.
You don't have to feel like you know McCaw to appreciate that.
