Tony Johnson weighs in on the next 'Sam Cane' in Super Rugby

Longtime Sky Sports commentator and Rugby pundit Tony Johnson has discussed who impressed him the most in round one of Super Rugby Pacific 2026, with a number of them being from the opening game in Dunedin.

One of Johnson’s most impressive players was 25-year-old openside flanker Sean Withy, who made a game-high 18 tackles at Forsyth Barr Stadium.

“Sean Withy had a terrific game. Game high 18 tackles from Sean. He’s another player who, to me, looks destined for the highest level of the game,” Johnson told Martin Devlin on the DSPN Podcast.

“So it’s all about those guys have got to roll up their sleeves and get the job done.”

Withy, who played for the All Black XV under Jamie Joseph in 2025, has previously been called “the next Sam Cane”, on the DSPN Podcast, by Nigel Yalden.

 

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Other players like Timoci Tavatavanawai, Cameron Millar, Jack Taylor, and Caleb Tangitau all grabbed the deserved headlines after the game, helping Joseph’s side close out the round one victory.

Tavatavanawai, one of the team’s co-captains, was exceptional in his first game back after a hand injury in 2025, while Millar stepped up when it mattered the most, slotting a clutch penalty late on in the piece.

Johnson explains that Tangitau, who scored an exceptional try during the first half against the Crusaders, should have gone on the end-of-year tour with the All Blacks, rather than with Joseph and the All Black XV.

“I think he should have gone on that All Black tour at the end of last year, because he’s a player for the future, but he didn’t.

“He went with New Zealand 15, but there’s still some things to his game that has to have to be sorted out, and things like the high ball and defensive alignment, etc, like that, but they can work on things like that.

“What he’s got has just got this incredibly explosive speed, but also that whole back three, in fact, for the Highlanders, looks terrific.”