Head to Head: McCaw v Pocock
The battle of the breakdown is always a crucial area of the game and often dictates the outcome of tight matches. It will be no different when two of the world’s best No.7s go head-to-head in Sunday’s RWC semifinal clash between New Zealand and Australia at Eden Park.
All Blacks stalwart Richie McCaw and Wallabies superstar David Pocock are undeniably two of the best in the business and will love the challenge of testing themselves against each other.
And former Springbok captain Corné Krige – himself a forager of some repute – believes the contest between the pair of fetchers will go a long way to determining the winner come Sunday; if the referee holds up his end of the bargain.
“They are both very good openside flanks and if the referee [Craig Joubert] blows the laws correctly they should both play a major role in the game,” he told this website.
“They should cancel each other out, much like if [Heinrich] Brüssow had been on the field, he and Pocock would have cancelled each other out [in the quarterfinals]. Hopefully, the referee [Bryce Lawrence] would have let Brüssow get away with as much as Pocock was allowed to.”
The emergence of Pocock has gone a long way to evening the playing field between the two countries, after McCaw was unrivaled as the best openside in the Tri-Nations when George Smith hung up his boots.
“Richie McCaw is a little bit more important to his team because of his leadership abilities and the fact that he has been a stalwart for them for such a long period of time,” Krige added.
“If either of them were to leave the field then the other guy would have a field day. Let’s hope they both stay on the field and see how that contest pans out.”
Krige, however, hailed McCaw’s contribution to rugby and his ability to stay at the top of his game for such a long period of time, saying: “If you look at the last eight years or so McCaw has been phenomenal. He has been the most outstanding openside flank over a long period of time – the best that world rugby has ever seen.
“In many ways he probably deserves a good send off, so a World Cup win could do that.”
Statistical comparison – Richie McCaw v David Pocock:
McCaw (30 years old):
Total minutes played: 233
Matches played: 3
Tries scored: 0
Tackles made: 46
Tackles missed: 5
Off-loads: 1
Total running metres: 139
Turnovers: 3
Penalties conceded: 4
Pocock (23 years old):
Total minutes played: 180
Matches played: 3
Tries scored: 2
Tackles made: 42
Tackles missed: 1
Off-loads: 2
Total running metres: 132
Turnovers: 2
Penalties conceded: 1
Corné Krige’s verdict: “I’d go with experience and McCaw is such an incredible servant of the game, while Pocock is still a new kid on the block. Often it’s easy to shine at the begriming, but to play well for so long and continuously steal opposition ball and be a pain in the butt to the teams you play against – as McCaw has done – takes a strong mental and physical presence.”
Our verdict: “McCaw is a man on a mission with a World Cup is still the thing he desires most before he calls it a day on his career. As good as Pocock is – few would bet against the wily old McCaw winning the battle on the ground.”
By Timmy Hancox
