All Blacks: Cane silences doubters with McCaw-like job

Sam Cane almost appeared surprised there was much excitement about his performance. Photo / Getty Images

As much as the All Black management team don't want endless comparisons to be made between Sam Cane and Richie McCaw, the former doesn't help matters.

Cane makes it hard to resist the obvious: his size, his movements, his presence of mind, his skill-set, his work-rate, his tenacity, his timing - they all invoke thoughts of McCaw.

The doubters were surely sold on that by Cane's performance in Dunedin. Opensides in New Zealand can't fool anyone. They either have it or they don't, and Cane has it. His physicality was first-class against the Wallabies.

His instincts were that of a natural predator and for 80 minutes he was as constructive as he was destructive.

His work over the tackled ball was everything anyone had any right to expect, while he showed speed and awareness to be in exactly the right place at the right time to collect Israel Dagg's pass for his try.

But there's just as much, maybe even more, of McCaw in Cane when he steps out of the maelstrom. The 21-year-old has that same unflappable, understated demeanour. Cane almost appeared surprised there was much excitement about his performance. To him, it was a job well done. But that's why he was there. Why celebrate getting to base camp?

His almost laconic appraisal of his and the collective performance was matter of fact. His treading with caution, satisfied but careful to pay equal attention to those bits that hadn't gone so well, and such measured analysis and refusal to bask in any glory, are why Cane, longer-term, is viewed as a potential successor to not only McCaw's jersey but his captaincy.

"It's hard to tell," he said when asked if he'd just played his best test. "I definitely enjoy a good open fast game like we had out there. The support lines and getting involved are a lot easier. They had nothing to lose did they? They are dangerous when they throw the ball around and we saw that tonight. They put us under a wee bit of pressure.

"The disappointing thing for us was that we would score points and then let them off the hook by letting a few in straight away."