McCaw leads altered All Blacks against Barbarians

All Blacks captain Richie McCaw on Wednesday signed a four-year deal to stay in New Zealand after this year's Rugby World Cup but also retained an option to play club rugby overseas.Hailed as the most influential player in world rugby by All Blacks coach Graham Henry, the talismanic skipper joined star fly-half Dan Carter in re-committing to the All Blacks and Super 15 team the Canterbury Crusaders.

New Zealand captain Richie McCaw became the first player to win the International Rugby Board's player of the year award three times after receiving the 2010 edition of the prize on Wednesday.The 29-year-old flanker led an all All Black clean sweep of the major prizes with Tri-Nations champions New Zealand, beaten just once in 2010, named team of the year and Graham Henry coach of the year for a record fourth time.Henry had previously been named IRB coach of the year in 2005, 2006 and 2008 and New Zealand were named team of the year for the fourth time in six years.

New Zealand's top provincial rugby coach called Saturday for the All Blacks to be on show more at home and released from international demands to play domestic rugby.Rob Penny's appeal came a day after his Canterbury side won New Zealand's national rugby crown for the third consecutive year with a convincing 33-13 win over Waikato in the final.The ITM Cup victory was achieved without eight senior Canterbury players, headed by Richie McCaw and Dan Carter, who are away with the All Blacks who play England at Twickenham on Saturday.

All Blacks captain Richie McCaw on Wednesday said he had signed a four-year deal to stay in New Zealand after this year's Rugby World Cup.In a widely anticipated move, the talismanic skipper joined star fly-half Dan Carter in re-committing to the All Blacks and Super 15 team the Canterbury Crusaders."I?m pleased to confirm that I have re-signed with the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) for four more years," the 30-year-old said in a statement.

New Zealand captain Richie McCaw is tipping rugby league convert Sonny Bill Williams to handle the pressure when he makes his Test debut for the All Blacks against England here Saturday.Williams, 25, will complete a meteoric rise through the ranks of New Zealand rugby on Saturday when he strides out at Twickenham in front of an 82,000 capacity crowd, barely two years after switching to rugby union.But McCaw told reporters there was no question of the 6ft 4in (1.93m) 17 stone (108kg) centre former New Zealand rugby league international being overawed by the occasion.

New Zealand coach Graham Henry has challenged his squad's reserve players to finish the All Blacks' turbulent year on a high by beating a star-studded Barbarians team at Twickenham on Saturday.After a tough start to a season which saw them lose to France at home and three times to world champions South Africa, New Zealand have won six straight Tests to return to the top of the International Rugby Board (IRB) world rankings.

New Zealand record-breaker Richie McCaw will return to the ground where it all began for him as an international player when the All Blacks face Ireland at Lansdowne Road in Dublin on Saturday.Admittedly a revamped stadium is a much changed area from the ramshackle venue where the flanker made his Test debut during a 40-29 victory in 2001.But McCaw -- who with full-back Mils Muliaina will break former New Zealand captain Sean Fitzpatrick's national record of 92 caps this weekend -- said Lansdowne Road, be it old or new, would always be "special" in his eyes.

Richie McCaw has vowed that his New Zealand side will come out and match the passionate start expected from Wales here on Saturday.The All Blacks have suffered slow starts in a number of their games this season and McCaw said it was one aspect they would try to rectify come the Millennium Stadium showdown.The openside flanker also confirmed that Dan Carter would start against the Welsh, the star playmaker having overcome a calf bruised in last weekend's 32-19 victory over Australia in Tokyo.