Richie McCaw wants to see Zac Guildford 'sorted'

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Tue, 29 Jan 2013

By Hamish McKay

Rugby Editor

All Black captain Richie McCaw is about to head off on a three-month holiday to the United States, but not before wishing Crusaders teammate Zac Guildford all the best in his battle with alcohol.

McCaw is still busy off the field, but he's ready for his first true break in more than a decade.

While the All Black skipper took time out with seven-year-old competition winner Sam Denize, it's his young teammate Guildford whom McCaw is hoping rises to the challenge he faces in his battle with the bottle.

“You know from a friend, a teammate's perspective, you want to see the guy get himself sorted.”

But McCaw agrees only Guildford can make the changes he needs too if the pacy winger is to make it over the line and avoid any further alcohol-fuelled incidents.

“But he's going to have to make sure he wants to do that and by the sound of things he's acknowledged that,” McCaw says. “And I certainly hope he gets things sorted because I want to see him back playing one day. But obviously he needs to change a few things first.”

Like Guildford, but for very different reasons, when McCaw will next lace up his boots is undecided. He may not see any action for the Crusaders with the Rugby Championship in August his main aim.

“Whether it’s Super Rugby or whether its club rugby leading up to that, I need to be back training in May and give myself a couple of months to get ready, and as we get closer work out the best way to do that.”

McCaw's happy to have signed up to a sabbatical, but he's not sure how he'll feel when Super Rugby starts next month.

“I think that's where it will feel a bit weird when you would normally be running out having to watch, so I’m aiming to head overseas for a while. So I might not see too much but it will be a bit bizarre.”

It might be bizarre, but ultimately beneficial with defending the World Cup in 2015 remaining the ultimate goal.