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'Sometimes the harder you try, the worse it can get': Sam Cane on All Blacks turnaround

(Photo by Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

All Black captain Sam Cane is extremely satisfied and proud after his side arrested their three-match losing streak with a 35-23 win over South Africa at Ellis Park.

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“A massively satisfying win, partly because of what’s been going on building up to this moment,” Cane said.

“Playing South Africa at Ellis Park is a one-off fixture itself, it is a massive challenge.

“What we’ve been through the last month in terms of not performing where we want to be. To be able to deliver under a pressure occasion, it was massively satisfying.”

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The All Blacks built a 21-13 lead that quickly became a 23-21 deficit when sub Beauden Barrett was yellow carded for taking out Springbok scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse off the ball.

Handre Pollard took the lead with a penalty goal but it could have been much worse with a potential try in the offering as the loose ball was hacked toward the All Blacks in goal.

However, that was the last scoring play for South Africa as the All Blacks stormed home with two tries to secure a bonus point win.

Cane highlighted the team’s response while down to 14 men as one moments to be ‘most proud of’ from their win, as they were able to launch a deep counter attack and score a try on the same possession and take back the lead.

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“Probably one of the things we can be most proud of as a team,” Cane said.

“I believe when you are on a bit of a win streak or things have been going well and you have been in those positions before and come out the other side, the belief is strong.

“I said last week the belief within the group is really good, we’ve had moments over the last month or so in similar positions where we haven’t come out on the right side of them.

“To be able to do that and show that sort of composure in that pressure moment with it all on the line was really pleasing.”

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The All Blacks openside was a member of the Chiefs side that went winless in Super Rugby Aotearoa in 2020 and was asked about that experience.

Once the Chiefs came out of their funk and broke the losing streak, the ‘shackles’ were broken and they played with freedom to reach the final the next season in 2021.

“There are some similarities I suppose [with the Chiefs], one being that once we got over our hump, we went on a bit of a run all the way to a final,” Cane said.

“It’s almost like breaking the shackles a little bit, just some extra weight that you are carrying on your shoulders.

“You know that in sport and in general, sometimes the harder you try, the worse it can get.

“That’s the balancing act when things aren’t going right, not trying too hard and overplaying your hand a little bit when you want it so badly.

“I don’t think we did that last night, we had a really good balance and hopefully we took a massive step in the right direction.”

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J
JG 41 minutes ago
Scott Robertson opens up on drama surrounding Bongi Mbonambi's knock-on try

Oh my word, for how long are they still going to keep bleating about that try.

The match officials DID explain it at the time, ruling that the ball was knocked out of Bongi’s hand by a NZ player. The ball went straight down (not forward) and Bongi fell on it, thus resulting in the try being awarded.

So it is disingenuous of Robertson to say that it wasn’t checked. If the match officials are confident in their decision, based on what they saw, then they don’t usually go to the TMO - even if requested.

Or else they’ll be going upstairs for virtually every try scored in a match.

Seriously, the Kiwis must now get over themselves. Every time they lose a match by a narrow margin, they find something to go on and on about. It’s almost as if they believe that other teams are “not allowed” to beat them.

Mind you, I think that dates back to a few years earlier when it seemed like the All Blacks were untouchable in the eyes of the match officials at the time.

Maybe Robertson still thinks that is the case nowadays. He hasn’t received the memo about the ABs no longer being unfairly “protected” by match officials.

Let’s face it - there was a time, not too long ago, where players from other teams were almost too afraid to touch or tackle a New Zealand player, for fear of incurring the referee's wrath.

And also, around the same time, NZ captain Richie McCaw was the “golden boy” amongst match officials and even amongst the big brass at the (then) IRB (now World Rugby).

Dont get me wrong, I’m an admirer of McCaw as a player and captain - I think he was great. And I will ALWAYS regard the All Blacks as a great Rugby team.

BUT let’s just be realistic, the New Zealand Rugby fraternity do tend to have this rather large sense of entitlement when it comes to test matches won or lost.

They expect other teams to accept it whenever a dubious decision goes the All Blacks’ way in a game.

BUT they don’t seem willing to do the same.

They'll routinely congratulate their opponents when they lose a match, but will then (for months, or even years afterwards), continue to bleat and “bitch” about a decision or incident that occurred in that match, trying to play the “victim” that was hard-done-by.

Perhaps it’s time for all involved in NZ Rugby to realize and accept that NO team should expect to have the right to always be “protected” or “favoured” in every match they play in.


Come on Scott Robertson, quit sinking to the low levels of some of your predecessors who, annoyingly, believed that the All Blacks have some divine, inalienable right to win every match they play.

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