The greatest of all time. #allblacks #rugby #richiemccaw #goat

You know, I certainly wasn't the most talented kid coming through school. It was the desire to make sure that I got the best out of everything I had, and that came down to work ethic, and so every time you had that choice, do I do this or don't I do it? I always asked myself, you know, "Will I regret this one day?" It became a pretty easy answer, and I guess it's the times when you didn't need to do it, you could get away with it, and it probably may not have counted. Those are the times that I think define the difference with you, succeed in what you're after or you don't. And I guess we look out in this room tonight, there's a lot of people who know exactly that, 'cause that's what they've done to achieve, the things that they've achieved, and what about sport they've been involved in. The other thing I'd say, and often say this to young kids, there's a lot of people who tell you why you can't. They've been able to shut that out and ask, "Why not?" If you're able to do that, then you start to look for solutions and look for ways, and then look for the people that are going to actually help you. Because a lot of people will tell you why they can't, because it's your own innervisions, your own things of why they can't. Whereas if you're able to put that aside, then I think the other little moments that change the trajectories, that will give you the opportunity to achieve something, won't guarantee that you get there. But if you don't make that right choice, you'll guarantee you won't. And I think in society, we often want to find the easy way. We want someone to give it to us. But if you're going to be successful, you've actually got to be comfortable finding the discomfort. 'Cause that's where you grow the most. That's where you learn the most on your setbacks. On those days where it's raining and horrible and it'll be easier to stay in bed, the other moments that actually, you've got to be able to do yourself. It's got to come from in here. No one can actually tell you to do that. That's one of the things that I think is important. And I'm probably preaching the converted here because a lot of you that have been successful are doing exactly that. So I just finally say, when you get to put on that black jersey and represent your country, and for the all blacks that's representing over 100 years of legacy, you actually play for something bigger than yourself. You play to inspire the next generation to not let down the legacy, to add a little layer to it. And I just hope that alongside the teammates I got to play with, we added a layer that set up for the next people to do that. So it's just amazing to receive this tonight too. Thanks very much.