Dear Richie McCaw, please come to America. That's what every fan in the U.S. should be saying. While he will almost certainly retire as a double World Cup champion and three time player of the year, he doesn't quite want to seem to utter the word retirement. At 34 he's still a relatively young guy and has a lot of good high level rugby in him. However, that doesn't seem to be in New Zealand. Europe is an option but there is also the sense that he wants to do something different.
Maybe that something different could be a stint in the United States? In case you missed it, there is an announcement expected very soon from an organization called Pro Rugby. Details have still to be confirmed but it looks like something is launching next Spring. If we were one of the people behind the league or a team we'd be on the phone right now trying to get in contact with McCaw. What other player would you rather have as the face of your new league than a player considered the greatest player of all time?
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If you think about it, McCaw joining the new league makes a lot of sense. He probably still wants to play but doesn't want to 20-30 matches a year. He could play less than 15 in the U.S. league. He's also a smart guy and may want to get into coaching. With what will surely be limited budgets what team wouldn't benefit from having McCaw as a player coach. Even if it's not a head coach job, he could learn his chops as an assistant coach. What player in the U.S. wouldn't want to learn from McCaw.
If you think about it, McCaw joining the new league makes a lot of sense. He probably still wants to play but doesn't want to 20-30 matches a year. He could play less than 15 in the U.S. league. He's also a smart guy and may want to get into coaching. With what will surely be limited budgets what team wouldn't benefit from having McCaw as a player coach. Even if it's not a head coach job, he could learn his chops as an assistant coach. What player in the U.S. wouldn't want to learn from McCaw.
One of the concerns with the new pro league is whether import players will be brought in at the skill positions. With McCaw, that isn't much of a worry. The U.S. is really deep in the back-row right now and having McCaw play in the league would not cost a player that could make the Eagles his place. Instead, he could help any prospective Eagle.
Most importantly, McCaw would bring a lot of attention, both from the rest of the world and from ex-pat circles in the U.S., to the new competition. What better for a new competition than to have McCaw as a selling point. Do you think an extra 500 people might show up just because of him? It's not out of the question. He makes a great face of the league that can be used on promotional materials and his resume instantly gives him credibility with media in the United States.
In the end, it's a win-win. Pro Rugby gets a figure they can rally around and McCaw gets to play rugby while taking on a new challenge. Will it happen? Who knows but it should.