McCaw says 'sabbatical' not for him
Thu, 23 Oct 2008 11:55
Big prize: Richie McCaw with the Bledisloe (right) and 3N cups
New Zealand skipper Richie McCaw on Thursday said he had no desire to follow Dan Carter on a European "sabbatical" and only rave reviews from his team-mate would change his mind.
McCaw, who has the same clause in his New Zealand Rugby Union contract allowing him to play elsewhere for short periods, said he would wait to see what Carter made of his six-month stint with France's Perpignan.
"I'm pretty happy with what I'm doing now. I don't really have any inclination to go there," McCaw told a media teleconference ahead of the November 1 Test against Australia in Hong Kong.
"That might change if Dan comes home and says how great it was. You never know, but at the moment I'm quite keen on doing what I'm doing.
"I don't think 18 months of rugby would be the right thing for me at this stage, but we'll see how it goes."
McCaw, 27, has had another successful year after defending the Tri-Nations and Bledisloe Cup titles with the All Blacks and leading the Crusaders to the Super 14 crown.
Carter was unveiled by Perpignan last month, with his playing contract starting on December 1.
"He's going to be playing 18 months of rugby without having a decent break," McCaw said.
"It's going to be interesting to talk to him once he gets through that but to be honest from my point of view I haven't started considering it."
He added: "You've got to really want to be over there and play. To be honest, I just don't feel like that and for that reason I don't think it's the right thing."
McCaw was equivocal in his backing for Japan's bid to host the 2015 or 2019 Rugby World Cup, saying he was "not too sure" whether the country was ready to host the sport's showpiece.
"Asia's such a big population base and I know there's a lot of people playing in Japan now. I think it's important for rugby to get as many people around the world playing the game," he said.
"Whether it's the right thing to have a World Cup there, I'm not too sure."
He also conceded that critics had a point when they called the All Blacks "chokers" for their failure at the last World Cup. New Zealand have not won the trophy since 1987.
"We haven't won it for a while, it's probably fair enough," he shrugged.
New Zealand are embarking on a European tour after the Test in Hong Kong with matches against Scotland, Ireland, Munster, Wales and England.
AFP
