“Bloody Richie,” my companion grumbled as we compared notes having watched Chasing Great yesterday, the story of All Blacks captain Richie McCaw. “Doesn’t he know how hard he makes it for the rest of us fellas – flying helicopters, straight A student, working insanely hard, being open to self-improvement, winning a couple of World Cups and being an all-round humble nice guy? He needs to give the rest of us a break – he makes us look hopeless.”
Chasing Great was a really interesting film. Tourism New Zealand will be chuffed with all the magnificent scenery, sports fans will love all the archive footage, and New Zealanders all over the world should be so proud of our Captain Fantastic. He has lead our favourite during a whole new era for the game of rugby – the All Blacks seem to really embrace their roles as role models, and act accordingly.
It was fascinating to see their process of improvement, how the realisation came about that just training hard physically was never going to make them the most dominant team in the world – they needed to sharpen their mental skills as well. Whether you aspire to be a great sportsperson, businessperson or simply the best person you can be, the ability to adapt and perform under stress is vital, and it is a skill the our Richie has embraced with gusto.
Dr Ceri Evans, psychologist, who has helped the team with their mental skills, says that Richie is incredibly curious and asked a lot of questions in his quest to be the best.
It’s not just a love-fest of a film – they address accusations of cheating, but it seems that Richie does his research and knows the rules inside and out, which allowed him to tread the very fine line between genius and villain. He does the work, both, on the field and off, to be the best.
He’s humble, we all have seen that. He comes from quiet, humble stock, and preferred to let his playing do the talking. For the kids in the theatre, what a lesson in what it takes to live a great life (as well for us bigger kids). He has taken no short cuts, and has never taken anything for granted. His ability to focus seems superhuman (Dan Carter even commented that leading up to the World Cup, it was almost impossible to have a conversation with him about anything other than rugby, “it almost felt like I lost my mate for a wee while,”), but we’ve all appreciated the results.
Even if rugby isn’t your thing, the message in Chasing Great is about more than footy. Richie McCaw is an extraordinary person, even if he seems completely normal, and we’re lucky to have him. It is well worth your time to make a trip to the movies.
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