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‘Live with forever’: All Blacks captain Sam Cane reacts to red card
By Finn Morton
All Blacks captain Sam Cane was visibly hurting after the Rugby World Cup final. New Zealand were bested 12-11 by South Africa and Stade de France, and a key moment involving Cane was a talking point.
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For the first time ever in men’s Rugby World Cup final history, a player was sent from the field – and it was captain Cane. The skipper was initially sent to the sin bin following a high shot on Springboks centre Jesse Kriel midway through the first half.
But the incident went under review. An anxious five minutes followed before referee Wayne Barnes officially confirmed that the incident had been upgraded to a red card offence.
Off camera, Cane dropped his head into his hands as referee Barnes showed the skipper red.
The All Blacks had to play 55 minutes with 14 players, and that doesn’t include flanker Shannon Frizell’s time in the sin bin earlier in the Test. It left the All Blacks in a mighty tough spot.
New Zealand had a few opportunities to snatch World Cup glory from the jaws of defeat at the death, but it wasn’t to be in the end. The All Blacks lost a thriller, and unfortunately for Cane, his red card is just something “I am going to have to live with.”
“Look, at the time I wasn’t even aware, it caught me off guard that he stepped back. But we have been here for two months now and anything around the head has ramifications,” Cane told reporters after the final.
“I’m not here to discuss whether it was the right or wrong decision. It can’t be changed. Unfortunately, it is something I am going to have to live with forever.”
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Midfielder Jordie Barrett found himself on the side of the scrum in Cane’s absence as the All Blacks rallied back from the game-changing setback.
The All Blacks played with a one-man disadvantage for long periods of this Test, but it didn’t seem like it at times. If anything, New Zealand looked more threatening during the second term.
But the Springboks, just as they have throughout the entirety of the knockout stage, hung on when it counted. Test matches are won by fine margins, after all.
Coach Ian Foster praised captain Cane for his leadership after the final, and refused to pin the blame on the skipper’s send-off.
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“I think we’ve all seen the way Sam has contributed to the game, our team behind the scenes, he’s been fantastic, worthy of being captain of the All Blacks, which is a fantastic honour and a privilege and I think he’s carried that magnificently well and I am incredibly proud of him. I am incredibly proud to coach him,” Foster added.
“It’s a tough old day at the office when that happens and he’ll be feeling a lot of emotion I guess.
“There’s a few issues there, one is you look at the decision and say well, it is what it is, we can’t control that unfortunately. I didn’t feel we got the rub of the green in that first half, so we had to try and make our own luck but that was one that went against us.
“But the second thing is the heart and soul that the team showed afterwards to stay in that fight and I think that’s largely due to the spirit of the group and the spirit of the leaders and even though Sam wasn’t on, he was a big part of that.”
Everyone please take it easy on Sam, it’s only a game. We were unlucky the margins were tiny between glory and despair. Sam Cane is an upright hard working guy and its only rugby. Nothing compares to the other tragedies unfolding in the world. As an AB fan does it hurt? Yep but that’s true for France, Ireland and England too. Time to move on. I should add as I did elsewhere congrats to the Boks no excuses from us.
Clear mitigation, TMO who, for a big game, should be someone with Head Reffing experience. With Cane’s tackle, the player clearly side-steps into him and drops. What’s the mitigation for Kolisi’s tackle? Ardie makes no sudden movements. Such a shame, been a great WC, and it's a shame for it to be decided by some naff TMO’ing.
I wasn’t going to post about the New Zealand fans being sore losers because I have a lot of Kiwi friends but it’s getting ridiculous. Here are the facts that need to be understood, swallowed and digested. The best team did not lose, the best team won. That’s how it works.
1. You had 61% possession but failed to convert it into points
2. There is no referee conspiracy
3. There is no bribery and corruption
4. You missed 2 kicks - we missed 0
5. You got 1 yellow card and 1 Red
6. We got 2 yellow cards
7. We out muscled you on the field with immense defence
8. You confidently decided to kick for the corner when points were on offer
9. You made numerous handling errors
10. Your ill discipline cost you at vital moments
11. Some calls didn’t go your way but that’s rugby and it happens
12. Some calls didn’t go our way either
13. Certain decisions cost you big
You have no one to blame but yourselves. It’s time to get honest and clear with yourselves, admit you lost fair and square and congratulate your old foe and leave it at that. We have lost to you numerous times and we have never cried foul like this. We take the loss on the chin and move on. This is not your last rodeo and you will be back to beat us once more. The Boks are world champions after one hell of a battle. We have nothing but immense respect for the Kiwis. Don’t tarnish it with the sore loser antics and moaning. We know losing sucks - we’ve been there many times - just not yesterday.
For the love of the game!
Cane can be in retreat now because he will be the public enemy number 1 in nz.
Razor will clean this squad with new generation and will win 🏆 in 2027
Driss I am a true Crusader fan! Razor teaches the importance of good sportsmanship and I hope NZ sport followers will be respectful towards S.Cane and I.Foster for such is the actions of a true sports person.
I don’t think so. More likely the TMO. Red cards for unintentional foul play are a blight on the game, in a way it was predictable it would happen in a big game. There’s got to be a better way for punishing high shots which happen in split second moments. Red should be reserved for intentional foul play. I’m no Cane fan but I feel for the bloke.
My unbiased SA view is that Sam Cane was a excellent younger plsyer when he hit the scene, but capataincy weighed too heavily on his shoulders. He's no McCaw or Fitzie. Always seemed to be like a schoolboy going out to be bullied at breaktime. Like the Aus with Hooper, the AB lacked a leader these last few years.
Career over for Cane with all blacks. Razor does not like type player
A bit unfair to judge a bloke who spent most of the game on the side line perhaps, but it’s difficult to argue with. The boys looked a little mentally overwhelmed by the occasion, I actually thought they looked beaten when Cane was on. It was noticeable how they improved once he was gone, led by the lion Savea, giving us a big glimmer of hope. Cane’s had a good WC, but doesn’t quite have the ‘mana’ or calming leadership that McCaw had. Although McCaw had to learn that too, he admitted that in 2007 when things went pair shaped he had no idea what to do. The difference was his name on the team sheet was usually the first based on his performance alone. But again it’s a bit unfair on Cane, he couldn’t do much from the stands - we’ll never know what difference he could have made if any.
The last two scrums could have resulted in Kiwi penalties but like 2007 the referee bottled it. He should never have been trusted with the game in the first place. The TMO showed he was not fit for purpose when he ruled against two Bokke incidents that would have been red cards any other day of the week. Another missed opportunity for fairness was missed when Barrett received a swinging arm/fist scoring the only try.
The Bokke were guilty at almost every ruck of sealing off the ball.
All in all a horrorfest of suspect behaviour.
I wonder if the US will have the balls to mount an inquiry into World Rugby as it did for FIFA corruption.
Sour grapes all day long
What game were you watching?
Oh dear. Another four years of complaining. I’m so glad I was born me and not you.
Moan & bitch as you like - but give credit to the rugby teams and SA for pulling this through. What a kant.
Hilarious: SA wins and five total articles on this website about the game, two devoted to NZ ill-discipline and scoring one try?
Boks worst champions in the history
Very sad feeling for this marvelous player. He has been written off and came back stronger. Immense respect AB sorry mates. Bokke just made history. World Champoins back to back. Wonder what mAtt Williams have to say 🤔 the moral god of rugby. That must have been a kick in the balls 🏈
He’ll be crying all night.
No 4👍🏽
Haters will hate and that is all there is to it, Foster and Cane will be bashed about by such tossers. ABs were outstanding, 6 points went against them due to the incorrect yellow card awarded against Frizell. Sam’s red was justified, but the ABs only came short in a game that was reffed very poorly. Well done Ian and Sam you can hold your heads up high along with the rest of the ABs and staff.
Damn right John, they've so much to be proud of and can sure as hell hold their heads high
Bloody idiot, unworthy of the highest mantle of All Black captain. He already had a reputation of going missing when his teams needed him the most. And delivered big-time in the RWC final.
In retrospect, wonder if we’d have defended 37 phases v Ireland if he was on the paddock? I mean his stupidity in the Super Rugby final 8 mins left Chiefs 5 points up, hard on D, Cane gets unnecessarily yellowed, we score, go ahead, then shut the game down & cruise to the win.
Grow up and look at your own faulty life.
By all accounts, Sam Cane is a decent human being. He’s also performed well in recent matches. In the press recently we little people have been chastised for criticizing his selection as the (at best) 3rd best open sider in the country. I’ve actually been a fan of his, particularly on the defensive side for many years, but I did not think he should start at 7, let alone be captain.
A year or two ago he said that the NZ public didn’t really understand rugby. Imagine the way that landed with the fans. It’s possibly true in the main, but why would you say that to camera to a rugby-obsessed nation? That’s where he lost me. I know of women in their sixties who have never played the game who are smarter than (IMO) Foster about this great sport. I’m not joking about that. I could name them.
Tonight, this (smarter than every person in NZ) captain needlessly dominantly smacked a Springbok. At the time it looked stupid and bad, later on review he was rightly pinged. I am a long-standing AB fan but he absolutely deserved to be sent off and I want to say clearly to him now that perhaps he might not in fact be the most rugby- knowledgeable human being in NZ.
Is this karma? Not sure. But he deserved to have his arse kicked. It’s just a shame that it had to come in the RWC final.
That was a throwaway comment said in defence of his coach wasn’t it. Harsh thing to judge him on.
Terrible take - he was caught by surprise when Kriel stepped back into him. Sloppy but not “needlessly smacked”.
His comments about rugby and the little things were bad but I don’t believe they were intended to sound like they did (as an affront to fans) but more in saying how there are things they know they’re doing right but aren’t delivering results (and that fans don’t necessarily see).
He was the right choice to start at 7 as his balance with Savea is the most natural fit. This red card will unfortunately follow him forever.
All blacks had a problem for long time with their ill discipline and it killed them.
Great all blacks always had great discipline.
Foster area and Cane also …. 2 clowns out !
Welcome to Razor to rebuild the great all blacks with new generation. He will fix definitely the discipline.
Worst world champions and bad pub for the rugby. This World Cup is a joke with the referees and TMO. Rugby is dead
“rugby is dead” but you’ll comment on every rugby thread possible…
Glad you’ll be out of it then.
Bye Felicia.
Ben Smith probably inspired this win. Thank you Ben! From our hearts 🥰 you are an inspiration . Springboks got “lucky” NZ didn’t play in the 2019 final right? 😂🤣
Even with red card , all blacks could win this match but jordie and Richie had bad night with their goalkicking