Richie McCaw and his family had an unpleasant experience last summer when a fellow passenger’s bare foot encroached on their personal space during a flight.
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All Blacks legend Richie McCaw and former Black Sticks hockey star Gemma McCaw were traveling to France for the Rugby World Cup with their three daughters, Charlotte, Grace, and Ella.
Gemma, who played hockey at the 2008,2012 and 2016 Olympic Games, posted a video on her Instagram Stories, giving a glimpse of their long journey in what appeared to be the economy cabin. The camera panned to reveal a passenger’s foot propped up on her daughter’s armrest.
“Lovely pedi colour but I think I’ll have to put my foot down for this one,” she captioned the video, showing Richie shaking his head in disgust from across the aisle.
In a subsequent update, the Olympian showed her eldest daughter writing a polite note in her notebook: “Please put your foot down.”
“I don’t want to put my foot in it, so Charlotte thought of trying this approach,” Gemma wrote.
However, a few hours later, she shared that a flight attendant had intervened to resolve the situation.
“Update on the foot gate: hostess stepped in and asked her to kindly remove her foot from the seat. All is well.”
McCaw ranks his five toughest opponents
Sourcing several Q&A’s from down the years, including one with Rugby World, here is his top five:
5. Thierry Dusautoir (France)
- Position Back-row
- Height 6 ft 2 in
- Weight 218 lb
- Caps 80
Dusautoir made his international debut against Romania in 2006 before making a name for himself the following year when France stunned New Zealand 20-18 in the World Cup quarter-finals.
The former France skipper also scored a try and was named man of the match in the 2011 World Cup final when New Zealand avenged their defeat of four years earlier with an 8-7 win in the final.
Richie McCaw said: “Over the years I’ve played him a few times and you always know he’s there,” said McCaw of Dusautoir. “He was always pretty big defensively and in the breakdown area. A menace”
DID YOU KNOW? He broke the record for most tackles in a match, making 38 tackles against the All Blacks in the 2007 World Cup