He was the first name on the All Blacks team sheet for much of his 14-year tenure but legendary openside Richie McCaw says the No.7 role is a matter of horses for courses.McCaw, now 35, played a record 148 Tests for his country, including 110 as All Blacks skipper.In that time he lifted two Rugby World Cups and 10 Bledisloe crowns as captain, as well as the World Rugby Player of the Year award three times.But the former Crusaders No.7 jumper has been hotly contested following his 2015 retirement, with Sam Cane, Matt Todd and livewire Ardie Savea all vying for the role.Cane has typically served as the incumbent openside when fit, with Savea serving as team super-sub due to his high-intensity style and carrying ability.Yet McCaw, who was typically preferred by coach Steve Hansen for the full 80 minutes of Tests, felt the decision to go with a Cane-Savea two-punch combo wasnt too much of an aberration.At the moment theyve got two No.7s they want to have in the matchday squad, so thats how they share that role, McCaw told NZN.I guess as captain, its a bit like Kieran Read at the moment, theyre not going to replace him most games so having a reserve No.8 probably isnt what you need.Savea, who weighs in at 100kg, told reporters on Monday he was struggling to put on the weight necessary to thrive as a Test openside.Cane, who sits around eight kilos heavier, said he could empathise with the Hurricanes ace given the importance of dominating at the breakdown.It was this extra weight that gave Cane the edge at selection time, according to Hansen.The 24-year-olds experience also came in handy, having played 37 Tests, including one as captain.The big deciding factor comes down to the physicality that Sam provides, hes a little more physical than the other two, particularly in the tackle, Hansen said.Its the old adage, the big strong guy who can do all the things the little guy can do, hes got the advantage because hes just got the size.McCaw, who weighed in at 107kg during his playing days, was impressed with the depth of talent currently pursuing the openside role.Cane had stepped into his shoes with aplomb in 2016, before a hamstring injury gave Todd the chance to shine against South Africa and Australia.The Chiefs co-captain will return to the breach at No.7 against Ireland on Saturday.When you look at the three of them, in most teams around the world theyd get a run, so were pretty lucky, McCaw said. 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The four All-Star teams will play for $100,000 in prize money during TSNs annual skins game, airing live this weekend on TSN from The Fenlands Banff Recreation Centre. MINNEAPOLIS -- David Ortiz insists he isnt trying to do anything special to show the Minnesota Twins they made a big mistake by letting him go in 2002. It just looks that way every time he crushes another ball into the Target Field seats. Ortiz homered twice and drove in six runs to torment his former team once again, leading the Boston Red Sox to a 12-5 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Saturday night. "It used to be," Ortiz said when asked if there was extra motivation when he played the Twins. "Not anymore. I just go about my business. I try to hit the moon every time I go to hit anywhere. Its not new." Dustin Pedroia had two hits, two walks and an RBI, extending his hitting streak to 10 games. Daniel Nava also went deep for the Red Sox, who have won four straight following a slide in which they had lost 10 of 14. Scott Diamond (3-4) gave up six runs on eight hits and walked three in 4 1-3 innings for the Twins, who have lost four in a row to fall into last place in the AL Central. Pedro Florimon had two hits and two RBIs and Joe Mauer extended his hitting streak to 15 games with two hits. Craig Breslow (1-0) pitched 1 2-3 innings of scoreless relief for the win. Ortiz also had a single and a walk, raising his batting average to .362 in a game that lasted 3 hours, 53 minutes. "His performance is as good as youre going to find in the league right now," Red Sox manager John Farrell said. Twins general manager Terry Ryan has long been one of the most respected executives in the game. But one of his biggest mistakes came in 2002 when he released Ortiz, who had just appeared to start putting things together in his sixth big league season. The move is still haunting Ryan and the Twins 11 years later. Ortiz signed with the Red Sox, and promptly blossomed into one of the most feared hitters in the American League, a central figure in Bostons two World Series championships and the kind of slugger the Twins have been searching for ever since. He wears No. 34 in honour of the late Kirby Puckett and seems to take particular delight in hammering his former team. Ortiz is 19 for 37 with five homers and 16 RBIs at Target Field. "The one guy we say dont let beat us is David Ortiz," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said.dddddddddddd "Theyve got a lot of really good hitters over there, but we told them to stay away from this guy, dont give in to him. And he keeps sending souvenirs." Diamond laboured from the start, falling behind 3-0 after 19 pitches. Ortiz jumped on a flat slider and drove it into the seats in right-centre field for his sixth homer of the season. Red Sox starter Ryan Dempster wasnt much better. He walked four hitters in the second and third innings to load the bases in both frames, but the right-hander got Mauer to chase a breaking ball down and away to escape in the second and then got Aaron Hicks to fly out to deep right field to end the third. Dempster needed a staggering 127 pitches to get through just 4 2-3 innings. He gave up five runs on eight hits and walked six. "I just couldnt get consistency with any of my pitches," Dempster said. "I kept missing away with it. I really didnt have any of my pitches tonight." Down 7-5 in the sixth, the Twins loaded the bases again. But Pedroia made a nifty over-the-shoulder catch in shallow right field, then whirled and easily threw out Ryan Doumit at home on a major base-running blunder. Ortiz and Nava busted the game open with two-run homers in the seventh, giving Ortiz his 40th career multi-homer game. "Hes swinging the bat great right now," Pedroia said. "Everything he hits is hard. He looks great up there." NOTES: The Red Sox played without OFs Shane Victorino and Stephen Drew because of back injuries. Farrell said both were hopeful of playing on Sunday. ... Mauer returned to the lineup after missing Friday night with a stiff back. ... Diamond and Dempster were facing each other for the second time this season, becoming the first pair of Canadian starters to meet more than once in a season since at least 1920, according to the Red Sox. ... The Twins will send LHP Pedro Hernandez (2-0, 5.79) to the mound on Sunday for the finale against Boston RHP John Lackey (1-4, 4.05). Lackey is looking to bounce back from a poor start against Tampa Bay, when he gave up five runs in 4 1-3 innings. ' ' '