All Blacks captain Sam Cane knows a thing or two about dealing with pressure. Photo / Photosport
All Blacks captain Sam Cane knows a thing or two about dealing with pressure. Photo / Photosport
Push aside Ian Foster's retention as All Blacks head coach, for a moment at least, to consider the statement performance at Ellis Park. In that regard, the expected standard has been set.
The All Blacks cannot replicate the backs-to-the-wall siege mentality that inspired their upset triumph against the Springboks inJohannesburg. And they cannot afford for that effort to be a one off.
Nine days after emerging from rugby's most hostile arena the All Blacks must instead find other ways to consistently match a performance that ranks as the best of Foster's turbulent two-and-a-half-year tenure.
It is increasingly clear the tumultuous two test South African tour, where the All Blacks shutout the outside world and saved their coach's job at the last chance, galvanised a group under intense pressure.
Such a moment in time should be a turning point but only if the All Blacks, starting with their next assignment against the Pumas in Christchurch this week, continue to build on the platform laid by the forward pack, their vastly improved attack and composure under the high ball.
All Blacks captain Sam Cane knows a thing or two about dealing with pressure after the sustained scrutiny applied to his role during a period in which the team slumped to one win from six tests.
Sam Cane and Sam Whitelock during an All Blacks training session at Linfield Park, Christchurch. Photo / Photosport
While the team has emerged out the other side of the most glaring public spotlight, Cane says the internal demands remain the same.
"We'd been saying for a couple of weeks we'd been improving and we then took a significant step in that game. It's a performance that we're proud of for sure but it's just a start of where we want to get to and how we want to get better," Cane said after the All Blacks trained on a fine and fresh Tuesday at Rugby Park.
"It's one performance. Just because we got that one right doesn't guarantee we get this one so there's plenty of work to go in this week. For us it's a good stepping stone.
"We maybe took for granted going to South Africa twice a year for so many years so it was nice to get back and spend some close time together as a group. The facilities we were at allowed us to put in a heck of a lot of work and through that we saw some massive shifts. Our challenge is to continue doing that.
"I'm proud of how we stuck tight and focused on what's important and kept chipping away at our work.
"It's nice to have some certainty going forward around coaching but in terms of our training week and what we want to achieve on the field, nothing changes."
When the team assembled in Christchurch for the first time since the coaching retention decision the previous week, Cane suggested Foster didn't linger on the issue long.
"Fozzie was just himself when he came in on Sunday and addressed the team. We looked at a review and things we learnt from the last South African game.
"He addressed it had been a challenging few weeks but we are where we are and let's get back to work. It wasn't anything special."
Joe Schmidt and Ian Foster. Photo / Photosport
With Foster now locked in to the 2023 World Cup and Joe Schmidt making a notable immediate impression on the training park as he joins the coaching team fulltime with a specific focus on the attack brief previously held by axed assistant Brad Mooar, the revamped brains trust that also includes Jason Ryan's forwards nous has a much more imposing feel to it.
All Blacks fullback Jordie Barrett, who watched his brother Beauden depart training early with a knock that leaves his availability in doubt, welcomed the coaching stability and the confidence gleaned from Ellis Park.
"For obvious reasons a bit of certainty helps everyone in the group," Barrett said. "It's been a great week so far to come into camp, connect with everyone and have Joe and Fozzie back.
"We've spoken about that game and how it can be used as a launchpad for the rest of this Rugby Championship. It's anyone's Championship at the moment. By no means that game counts for everything. We've got a different beast in Argentina, who just put a few points on Australia. They're coming to Christchurch and they want us."
Cane is, likewise, weary of the threat the Pumas pose. Led by the Michael Cheika, David Kidwell and Felipe Contepomi coaching team, and featuring recent Crusaders loose forward Pablo Matera, the Pumas arrive for the first of two tests against the All Blacks after posting a record 48-17 victory against the depleted Wallabies.
"I've played the Pumas a fair few times," Cane said. "I reckon they're one of the best defensive sides in the world when they get it right. They're very hard to attack against and they cause us trouble at the breakdown. If we don't kick well or have a good chase line they can spread the ball well. They've got some exciting backs with exceptional footwork so we've been doing our homework on them for sure."
