
All Blacks captain Richie McCaw is expected to announce his retirement this week, according to New Zealand media reports, a move that would confirm one of the worst-kept secrets in rugby.
New Zealand rugby chief executive Steve Tew has told journalists the record-breaking skipper and three-times world player of the year will be making a statement on his playing future "shortly".
Both the New Zealand Herald and Stuff websites speculated on Sunday that the retirement announcement would be made on Thurday.
McCaw, who led New Zealand to victory at the 2011 and 2015 World Cups, had indicated earlier this year he would likely retire after the latest World Cup in England.
Tew, however, gave no indication whether the 34-year-old McCaw would decide to stay or go.
"He wanted to go into 2015 and enjoy playing the year without really worrying about whether everything he did was the last time he did it. He didn't want the team distracted by that and now he has asked for a little bit more time before finally making a decision and announcement," the New Zealand rugby boss said.
"He won't be too far away from getting to that point and if we give him a little more space and have a little more patience we'll all be rewarded with the ultimate answer shortly."
McCaw has played a world record 148 Tests, captained the All Blacks 111 times and has been on the winning side for a remarkable 88 percent of his internationals.
Of the 61 Tests he has played in New Zealand, McCaw has only lost twice.
Source: AFP
GMT 18:30 2017 Tuesday ,26 December
FIFA trial: New York jury acquits former Peru soccer bossGMT 13:18 2017 Tuesday ,26 December
Early drama as Sydney to Hobart fleet race to break recordGMT 20:25 2017 Monday ,25 December
Klopp urges Liverpool to focus on Euro ambitionsGMT 18:35 2017 Monday ,25 December
Mutko suspends Russian football role to fight Olympic lifetime banGMT 10:11 2017 Monday ,25 December
Federer, Nadal shine as rivals hobble into 2018GMT 19:22 2017 Sunday ,24 December
Southampton's Austin charged with violent conductGMT 18:02 2017 Sunday ,24 December
'Tongan Bear' Uhila extends Clermont contractGMT 17:07 2017 Sunday ,24 December
Serena Williams to make competitive return in Abu Dhabi next week
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Maintained and developed by Arabs Today Group SAL.
All rights reserved to Arab Today Media Group 2025 ©
Send your comments
Your comment as a visitor