Succession-planning isn't foolproof, Sam Cane needs his best days after rugby
You just want Sam Cane to be well.
To live a full and satisfying life once his rugby career is over and to be able to walk and run and play with his children. To tolerate bright lights or loud noise and to suffer no lingering effects from the head and neck trauma he has suffered as a footballer.
I offered some thoughts about Cane’s suitability as All Blacks’ captain recently. Others did too.
There’s a couple of things to point out here. Cane’s toughness and talent are not in question, nor his many qualities as a man. We’d all be very lucky if our sons grew up to be like him.
But it’s also okay to question the appointment of people to high rugby office. You’re not being disrespectful or even unpatriotic to wonder aloud if the best people are being appointed to positions such as All Blacks coach and captain.
We’ve been a bit spoiled as rugby fans in this country. Back in 2007 it was hard to imagine New Zealand would win the two subsequent Rugby World Cups. At least not with Graham Henry, Wayne Smith and Steve Hansen on the coaching staff and Richie McCaw as captain.
They’d been seen to fail – and miserably so too – and the expectation was that they wouldn’t be trusted to lead World Cup campaigns again.
The legacy of their subsequent achievements is succession. Succession of coaches and succession of captains.
We’ve done Ian Foster’s appointment as All Blacks coach to death, so let’s linger on the captaincy.
McCaw was truly unique as a player and leader. To keep himself in one piece – and hold his form – over a span of 110 tests as skipper is something we’ll never see again.
We’ve tried, though.
Things resemble a royal family in that respect now. The heir is anointed and then ascends to the throne when the incumbent retires/abdicates.
You can debate whether McCaw’s successor Kieran Read hung around a year or two too long, just as you can express reservations about Cane’s really the man to take the helm now.
How did you feel watching Cane get laid out against the Hurricanes on Saturday night? Did your mind immediately drift towards the head knocks he’s had in the past or the broken neck suffered against South Africa in 2018?
Imagine being his family and friends. Team-mates, coaches. Imagine how they felt on Saturday or, frankly, feel every time he takes the field.
I interviewed former Blues and All Blacks halfback Steve Devine the other day. Man, what a life he and his family have endured since regular concussions forced him into retirement in 2007.
The years of headaches and fatigue and depression took a heavy toll but, thanks to fortnightly botox injections into his head and neck, Devine is starting to recover.
Head trauma doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t matter if you’re a big bloke or a small bloke, All Blacks captain or a club player.
We all admire Sam Cane. We respect his playing ability and the way he carries himself. He is the epitome of what we like to think of as the New Zealand rugby man.
But rugby is a contact sport and Cane has a lengthening history of emerging from that contact a little worse for wear. That’s not a failing or a criticism, simply a fact.
You can see why Ian Foster and New Zealand Rugby want Cane to be All Blacks captain. Sadly, you can also see why he might not be suitable.
This isn’t about being kneejerk or alarmist. It’s not a shot at Cane in any way.
It’s just about saying succession-planning isn’t foolproof. That our best intentions or best-laid plans won’t always come to fruition.
Most of all it’s about saying you hope Sam Cane is getting good care and good advice and that the best years of his life are all still ahead of him.
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
29 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
29 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
29 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
29 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
29 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments