Former All Blacks captain Richie McCaw has passed on advice to his successor Kieran Read about how to approach his final year of Test rugby.
McCaw, who turned over the captaincy to Read after retiring in 2015, told Newstalk ZB it's never easy to decide when to give up the black jersey but once a long-time player does, the key is to not get "too nostalgic" about things.
The New Zealand captain will join Japanese club Toyota after the tournament. (Source: Other)
"You do have to be careful if you think 'this is the last time for that' and get too nostalgic or whatever. You still want to put everything into each day so you can perform. Knowing the type of guy he is, he'll have no trouble I'm sure."
McCaw offered the sound words after Read announced yesterday he would step away from international rugby following this year's World Cup.
The 33-year-old has confirmed today that this year will be his final year in the All Blacks. (Source: Other)
The 33-year-old has played 118 Tests for the All Blacks since his 2008 debut, captaining the side for 49 of those matches.
In that time, Read has been a two-time World Cup winner and named the World Player of the Year once, in 2013. He'll also celebrate his 13th Super Rugby season with the Crusaders when he returns this year.
The 33-year-old will join Japanese club Toyota after this year’s World Cup. (Source: Other)
"He's been around for a while and I know his body has taken a good battering so from an international side of things to keep doing that he's obviously decided that the right time is this year and I guess the World Cup makes it an easy end point," McCaw said.
"Everyone's got different ideas what's for them when they finish. But good luck to him. I'm sure he won't be looking past getting this year spot on. Once you make a decision like that it makes it easier to focus on what he's doing."
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