- He turned down a move to the UK, which would have more than doubled his salary, and instead signed on to captain the All Blacks for three more years.
- In 2009 he convinced the head of the Discovery network in Australia and New Zealand to do a show about gliding. They filmed McCaw gliding at Omarama on the extreme sports series Sportstar Insider, which was hosted by former Australian rugby league player Andrew Ettingshausen.
- Has his pilots license. He is also a keen glider and recently got his helicopters license as well.
- He has houses in the Christchurch suburbs of St Albans and Shirley, three in Omarama, plus a new holiday home in Wanaka.
- Can play the bagpipes.
- McCaw's great-great-grandfather immigrated to New Zealand, from the Scottish Borders in 1893 and settled in the Hakataramea Valley, North Otago.
- In 2007 he was seeing professional dancer Hayley Holt. In June 2011, reports said that his girlfriend is New Zealand journalist Nicola Grigg. In 2012 he was seeing Black Sticks star Gemma Flynn.
- First All Black to play 100 Tests.
- He is raising money for a young Samoan who broke his neck playing rugby and whose village was destroyed in the 2009 Tsunami.
- In the 2012 Mega Kiwi Sex Survey, McCaw was voted as the most desirable man by New Zealand women.
- He has directorships or shareholdings in 16 companies.
- Signed to stay on with the NZRU until the 2015 World Cup.
- His other sporting passion is flying and he has been made an honorary Squadron Leader in the Royal New Zealand Air Force.
- In his last year at Otago Boys High, McCaw was head boy and runner up to the dux and played in the school's top rugby team.
- He has lost just four tests as skipper and only 10 times playing for the All Blacks.
- Has a record 21 wins over the Wallabies the biggest record by any player against any nation.
- Flying is in McCaw's DNA - his grandfather was a fighter pilot in World War II and his father, Don, is also a keen glider.
- More than a quarter of Kiwis surveyed named rugby star Richie McCaw as the celebrity they would most like to have lunch with, followed by broadcaster Paul Henry and supermodel Rachel Hunter.
- In September 2012 after the All Blacks v South African Test in Dunedin, current South African coach Heyneke Meyer said that McCaw was the greatest rugby player the world has ever seen.
- After the 2010 Canterbury earthquake he auctioned a personal flying lesson through Trade Me to raise money for the badly damaged Hororata St Johns Church.
- In 2006 he was named All Blacks captain, he is the team's 60th Test captain.
- In 2006 he had to give a speech at a Parliamentary Reception.
- The face of the New Zealand Rugby Union's Junior Recruitment campaign.
- Became the first person to be named the Kelvin R Tremain Memorial player of the year for a third time, having previously won the award in 2003 and 2006.
- Has helped drive the Crusaders to Super Rugby championship titles in 2002, 2005, 2006 and 2008.
- Has been bestowed the Freedom of the Waitaki District.
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