Once the captain of the All Blacks, leading them to consecutive World Cup victories and a plethora of other accolades, Richie McCaw now lives a vastly different life.
Despite being widely considered one of rugby’s greatest players, McCaw has shifted his focus to new endeavours, including working as a helicopter pilot and competing in extreme sports like adventure racing.
McCaw comes from a family of aviators — his father flew fixed wings and his uncles were interested in gliding. So for Richie, it was natural that he was intrigued by the art of flying.
He is now one of the chief pilots and has taken on more responsibility at management level — a role that has allowed him to upskill as a pilot, be part of a successful team and to continue to be challenged on a daily basis.
Since 2016, McCw has participated in the gruelling GODZone race multiple times, which is an annual, multi-day expedition-style event in New Zealand where teams trek vast distances.
This race is the largest of its kind in the world and is highly regarded. McCaw and his team came in second place last year, finishing the 666km journey in six days, which highlights the intense nature of these races.
Even though his teammates were heli-evacuated off the GODZone course due to a team member’s ill health, adventure racing has given McCaw a new passion and a way to fill the void left by rugby after retiring in 2015.
His new boss has seen the former rugby flanker completely transform his body.
The 41-year-old, who weighed 107 kg, is now closer to 87kg since dropping the weight.
For context, that’s a weight drop of over three stone.
RICHIE MCCAW DREAM TEAM:
BACK-THREE:
- 15. Christian Cullen (New Zeland)
- 14. Julian Savea (New Zealand)
- 11. Jonah Lomu (New Zealand)
McCawon Lomu: “When I first became an All Black he was in the team. To play alongside a guy you have watched as a young fella was pretty amazing. He made me look silly in training more than once.
“He is one of the absolute superstars of rugby. If you go to somewhere where rugby is perhaps not well known then the one guy they do know is Jonah. It’s really sad that he’s passed away at age 40. He was a legend of the All Blacks and a legend of rugby.”
CENTRES:
- 13. Ma’a Nonu (New Zealand)
- 12. Jonny Wilkinson (England)
McCaw on Wilkinson: “He’ll go down as one of the greats of world rugby.”
HALFBACKS:
- 10. Dan Carter (New Zealand)
- 9. Aaron Smith (New Zealand)
McCaw on Carter: “There are a lot of good players but the guys who did it for a long time and that I’ve been lucky to play with is Dan Carter. In the final, he was sensational and he’s been great for a long time. So to be able to play with him for the years I’ve been playing was pretty cool.”