Rugby: Cane on a roll, but wary of the dangers in desperate Blues camp

Sam Cane's outstanding season is set to enter uncharted territory against the Blues on Saturday night.

Provided he is selected in the run-on XV at Waikato Stadium, the openside flanker will be starting a sixth straight game for the first time in his Super Rugby career.

It would seem a player of Cane's calibre would have already achieved several such streaks during his five seasons with the Chiefs, but the All Black was eased into Super Rugby by splitting time with Tanerau Latimer.

Cane began Dave Rennie's tenure in Hamilton by mixing six starts with 12 cameos off the bench. The following campaign saw the balance at nine starts and eight appearances as a sub, while an injury-hit 2014 brought eight starts and two runs with the reserves.

This year, though, with Latimer having departed for Japan, Cane has worn the No 7 jersey in six of the Chiefs' first seven matches. His current five-game starting streak matches his career-best, set in the middle of the last campaign, and has left Cane needing to cope with the additional physical demands.

"The good thing about sharing it with Lats was the body was always feeling pretty good - it wasn't until last year, when I started quite a few on the trot, that I realised how much of an impact it had on the body," he laughed.

"But, at the same time, you always wanted to be starting every game, and I've really been enjoying it. [Fellow flanker] Sean Polwart hasn't played a lot but he's pushing me hard at training. The body's feeling good - touch wood - and I just want to keep getting out there and enjoying it."

Cane has been arguably the Chiefs' best player this season and a true mark of consistency in a campaign that has been lacking that quality.

Despite their fluctuating form, the Chiefs sit safely inside the playoff picture and will be confident of earning a sixth victory from eight games on Saturday.

But, as Cane warned, the winless Blues have been better than their record would indicate, losing all six games by 12 points or fewer. "We're expecting a desperate team and desperate teams can be dangerous," he said.

"Not many teams have put them away, so they're there or thereabouts, and we know we're going to have to be right on our game if we're going to beat them come Saturday."

If he continues his current form, Cane will go some way to ensuring the Chiefs perform at their peak. In a sign of his all-round impact, the 23-year-old is third in the competition for both turnovers won and offloads, sharing the team lead in the latter category with Sonny Bill Williams.

"I've been pretty happy with my form," he said. "I've been enjoying the minutes and enjoying getting out there. I'm not sure how to sum it up but I'm just happy with how things are going and want to keep improving."