The elephant in the room with Sam Cane's All Black captaincy
It’s probably time to discuss the All Blacks’ specialist captain.
We all get why incoming head coach Ian Foster opted for Sam Cane.
Handsome and articulate, Cane is the ideal face for New Zealand Rugby (NZR). You might argue this country needs a more diverse representation at the helm right now, not to mention sprinkled throughout the coaching staff.
Again, though, you get how Cane got the nod. A loosie, like so many All Blacks captains before him, hailing from Chiefs country wouldn’t have hurt his chances either.
But what is a hindrance to him is the shadow cast by Richie McCaw.
It’s not just that McCaw, like Cane, was an openside flanker. Nor the similarity in looks and charm.
No, it’s the fact McCaw reeled off an astonishing 148 test appearances and was as good in the last of those as he was in the first. That creates an expectation about an All Blacks captain and what he’s capable of; an expectation that Cane is not equipped to live up to.
McCaw was, by and large, always the best player in his position in this country, which you would have to argue Cane is not. More than that, he had a durability that not only Cane can’t match, but most loose forwards across the board.
McCaw was the exception, not the rule, and the idea that Cane can or will do remotely similar is fanciful. Never mind the broken neck, or the back injury that’s sidelined him this season, Cane has a history of head knocks too.
With the best will in the world, there’s little in his playing pedigree to suggest Cane can be kept on the park between now and the 2023 Rugby World Cup and we haven’t even got to the issues of form or loose forward balance yet.
Just so there’s no confusion here or allegations of some keyboard warrior chopping down a tall poppy, Cane is a tremendous ambassador for our game. A guy who cares and tries and treats people with respect and who carries himself well and will – you imagine – excel at life after rugby and be a fine husband and father.
That’s not hyperbole. When you write about and talk to people for a living, you quickly work out which are the good ones and who are the bad.
Cane seems a terrifically good bloke but – to go back to the start – you wonder if the All Blacks can afford to carry a specialist captain.
Alternatives? Sure, I’ll give you one. I reckon Ardie Savea’s best spot is No.8, but I’m prepared to accept that he perhaps doesn’t have the height or bulk to be a genuine test great there.
Not that a lack of size has ever hampered Savea before.
But if we agree that 8 maybe isn’t his best test position, at least for argument’s sake, then I’d have Savea as openside and captain. Not that you imagine this coaching and selection group would entertain the idea of him there ahead of Cane.
It’s a measure of Savea’s talent that he could be New Zealand’s 2019 player of the year from the blindside flanker’s position. Sure, he packed at 8 on the All Blacks’ scrum ball, but 6 was the role he was cast in once Liam Squire made himself unavailable.
Surely that’s not going to be Savea’s permanent test spot which, given the captaincy situation, only leaves No.8.
Hoskins Sotutu has certainly impressed people from that position, while Marino Mikaele-Tu’u is a player with a similar skillset. Whether both become All Blacks remains to be seen, but they certainly have the potential.
As does Shannon Frizell at 6 and the emerging Cullen Grace. The luckless Luke Jacobson is still in the mix and let’s not forget the versatile Lachlan Boshier goes all right at blindside too.
There’s a bit of loose forward talent around when you consider Dalton Papalii, Akira Ioane and Tom Robinson wouldn’t look out of place in All Blacks’ jumpers either.
It’s a big ask to think Cane will have one spot in the trio permanently locked down, with everyone else (including Ardie Savea) potentially taking turns in the other two.
Frankly, if any loose forward has earned the right to permanent possession of a jumper, then it’s Savea. But then he’s not the captain and is therefore unlikely to be afforded that privilege.
There’s certainly a lot to be said for being named skipper. Time will tell if it’s too much.
Comments on RugbyPass
Sometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
9 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
9 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
9 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
9 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
9 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
3 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to comments