Editorial: All Blacks captain Sam Cane has been an admirable servant of the national side

Now-former All Blacks captain Sam Cane acknowledges supporters after defeating Argentina at last year's Rugby World Cup. Photo / Photosport

EDITORIAL

It’s the most sought-after job in New Zealand sport, but Sam Cane will likely feel a sense of relief at leaving the All Blacks captaincy behind him.

Over 12 years in the black jersey, Cane proved himself a committed team man, a ferocious defender and an effective ball winner. The Bay of Plenty man has been a classic Kiwi loosie: brutal in the tackle, efficient as a link, masterful in the dark arts and always toiling.

He threw himself earnestly into the role of All Blacks captain - an invidious task to take on while wearing the black No 7 jersey, with the memory of Richie McCaw’s unrivalled era still rich in the public imagination.

Cane wasn’t a bad All Blacks captain, but when he had the job, it was a bad time to be the All Blacks captain. As a generation of our greatest players had just departed, there was an unsettled scene in the coaching box, where a raft of assistants paid the price for failure against Ireland and Argentina.

Unsettled selections made it hard for the side to find rhythm under coach Ian Foster. The calls for the coach to depart were at a volume and frequency unheard of in All Blacks history, and the eventual appointment of his successor, Scott Robertson, was a muddled and messy affair.

It was only in the final 12 months of the Foster-Cane era that management settled on selections (crucially figuring out where to put their Barretts) and tactics (Joe Schmidt bringing much-needed fresh thinking and clarity of purpose). A madcap and near-majestic thrust for World Cup glory almost landed successfully.

Through it all - the highs, the lows, his phenomenal quarter-final performance in which he single-handedly flattened Ireland and the ignominy of a red card in the final - Cane served with honour and dauntless effort. If the public asked questions of him and his form, it’s certain he was asking even tougher questions of himself. Such is the burden of that jersey and the weight of the captaincy upon those men.

Inevitably, he will be forever associated with that most unfortunate of red cards. On that night in Paris, Cane was - to some degree - a victim of rugby’s turbulent efforts to find manageable rules protecting against head injuries. But he knows he was accountable for poor tackling technique, too.

It’s a sort of sayonara, not a final farewell - Cane is due to return from injury in August, meaning he will be available for 11 of the All Blacks 14 tests of 2024. The openside flanker has been a dutiful servant for the national game; fans will reasonably want to see him have the chance to add five more tests to his tally of 95.

He has been a worthy stalwart for the All Blacks and he will be a deserved and worthy centurion.