Captain Sam Cane walks on the field with his silver medal after South Africa won the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final match between New Zealand and the Springboks at the Stade de France. Photo: AFP / ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT
It's fair to say any other All Black captain hasn't quite had the sort of season that Sam Cane has had. Andy Dalton had to watch on as the side he was supposed to captain won the World Cup in 1987, and Tana Umaga spear-tackled his opposite Brian O'Driscoll out of the British & Irish Lions tour in 2005. Fred Allen threw his boots over the side of the boat home after a 0-4 series loss in South Africa in 1949, while Reuben Thorne had to put up with no one noticing that he was even playing.
But that was then, this is now. It's fair to say Cane been under the microscope, but really you didn't need one in 2023 because every notable thing he did made headlines. It wasn't always good, but it certainly wasn't all bad either. Here's a look back at the skip's season:
Super Rugby was great…
Cane came into 2023 with some questions over his form and whether he should even be in the All Black team he would be leading to the World Cup. It didn't take very long in a Chiefs jersey to start answering those questions, especially after they went down to Christchurch in round one of Super Rugby Pacific and handed the Crusaders their heaviest ever home loss. The Chiefs' run was typified by staunch defence, of which Cane was at the heart of, that sent them to a home final with 13 wins and only one loss.
…till it wasn't
That final didn't go so well. To be fair, the Crusaders have had plenty of practice winning finals lately, helped no end by the Chiefs picking up three yellow cards. Cane's one was the most costly, getting binned in the 72nd minute and directly leading to Codie Taylor's winning try. As if that wasn't disappointing enough, Cane then didn't show to the post match media conference as coach Clayton McMillan decided to do it himself, but really he should have known to show face in front of the cameras because that turned into a story in itself.
Chiefs' Sam Cane reacts during the Super Rugby Pacific final match between the Chiefs and Crusaders at FMG Stadium in Hamilton. Photo: AFP / Michael Bradley
Mt Smart first half masterpiece
Until the Rugby World Cup quarter final, the All Blacks' display at Mt Smart in their 35-20 win over the Springboks was hailed as perhaps the best performance of the Ian Foster era. Again, Cane led from the front, brutally inflicting himself on a stunned Bok pack in the first half. Unfortunately, that's where it ended as Cane never re-emerged for the second half. He'd hurt his neck, an ominous injury given that he'd broken it in 2018, and it meant Ardie Savea would take over as captain for the next test.
Subbed
After Savea had led the All Blacks to a comfortable victory over the Wallabies at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Cane returned for the return match in Dunedin. It didn't go quite as planned - the All Blacks were down 17-3 at halftime and Cane was again subbed off at the business end of the match. In his absence, they managed to manufacture a match winning penalty.
Twickenham disaster
Cane will unfortunately go down as the leader of the worst ever All Black defeat in their long history and managed to pick up another yellow card in the process. The only positive about this game is that it's a little easier to rinse out of the memory banks given that it was somewhat meaningless in the grand scheme of things.
Ian Foster and Sam Cane after loss to the Springboks in London, 2023. Photo: PHOTOSPORT
A magical night in Paris
After a poor start to the World Cup campaign, then a run of marshmallow fixtures, confidence wasn't high going into a quarter final against an Irish side that had come down to New Zealand last year and won a series. But this was Cane's finest hour, not just as a player but as a leader. He made 21 tackles in a dominant performance, echoing back to his previous best effort against the men in green back in 2016. This was an incredible test match, showcasing everything that is good about test rugby, and Cane was its main man.
Sam Cane during the Quarter Final match Ireland v New Zealand All Blacks at the Rugby World Cup France 2023. Stade de France, Saint-Denis, France on Saturday 14 October 2023. Photo credit: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
Red card in the final
Unfortunately, the eventual All Black v Springbok World Cup final can be described as pretty much the complete opposite. TMO interference, enough cards to deal a poker hand and an effective time warp for New Zealanders back to 2007 in regard to Wayne Barnes being the main topic of conversation. Cane's shot on Jesse Kriel in the 28th minute saw him become the first man to get marched in a World Cup final, and even though he was almost joined by Siya Kolisi and the margin of loss was only one point, he admitted it will be something that will be on his mind for the rest of his life.
Feeling the love
Cane is now off to Japan for a stint at Tokyo Sungoliath but was given a heart warming welcome on his return to New Zealand. His words at Auckland Airport were exactly what the country needed to hear and the reaction on social media showed that the unforgiving nature of All Black fans is maturing somewhat. Just what the future holds for Sam Cane, with a new All Black staff and World Cup cycle looming, will be interesting.
