Richie McCaw still has what it takes to be an international force, according to England Rugby World Cup winner Neil Back.

England's veteran Rugby World Cup winner Neil Back is adamant Richie McCaw still has what it takes to be a force at this year's tournament.

An aging Back was a key figure in England's solitary RWC success and says experience and form were vital factor's to their winning effort under Sir Clive Woodward.

Back sees natural parallels between himself and McCaw as the New Zealand great goes under the microscope in the buildup to rugby's showpiece event that starts in England in September.

"In 2003 I was 34, the same age as Richie, and my feeling is that if you're good enough, you're young enough," Back, a tireless openside flanker, told The Rugby Paper as he promoted a rugby festival for charity in Britain.

"The Australian media tried to make a big thing of the age of our squad, calling us 'Dad's Army', but I found the whole thing very humorous.

"I never took any of it personally, it was all water off a duck's back, because you know yourself how hard you have trained and how well prepared you are.

"I felt super-human at that World Cup and unbeatable and that's all that counts."

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"It'll be Richie's last World Cup and probably his last season, but all he'll be thinking about is playing well enough to retain the No 7 jersey and winning the World Cup again. I don't expect there will be any talk of retirement parties."

Back, the Leicester Tigers legend, admitted that McCaw has made a slow start to the season with the Crusaders in Super Rugby, but warned not to write him off for New Zealand's defence of the World Cup.

"His breakdown intelligence, contact skills and decision-making are second-to-none," Back said.

"Richie is the best when it comes to managing referees, he knows the laws inside and out, and that's an invaluable quality to have when it comes to the high-pressure matches.

"No-one has a better track record than New Zealand of putting together winning runs, something you need to do to win a World Cup. Richie's leadership role in that cannot be understated."

Back predicted any doubts about McCaw would only serve to motivate the man who has played a record 137 tests for the All Blacks since 2001, captaining them 101 times.

"Top players need pressure. He is going to have to push himself and that's fantastic," Back said.

McCaw has made a habit of timing his runs perfectly in recent years, building his form slowly but surely to be purring by the end of Super Rugby and firing on all cylinders for the All Blacks.

His latest efforts come against the backdrop of another worrying concussion, though he was sidelined for just one game by the Crusaders to clear his head.