Common theme emerges as All Blacks laud Sam Cane ahead of 100th cap

Former All Blacks captain Sam Cane is set to become the nation's 13th Test centurion on Saturday night in what will be the 32-year-old's final run in a black jersey on home soil.

Having concluded a tumultuous captaincy tenure with a trip to the Rugby World Cup final last year, 2024's schedule only became Cane's impromptu farewell tour in May this year when the Chiefs centurion made a shock announcement, signing a long-term deal with Suntory Sungoliath in Japan from the upcoming season onwards, requiring a release from his New Zealand Rugby contract to do so.

Now, set to farewell another great after a Rugby World Cup exodus in 2023, Cane's teammates have started to share testimonials and within them, a common thread is easily identified.

Cane's leadership has not been limited to his tenure as captain and it appears his leadership style has been a steady presence throughout this year's campaign.

His successor, Scott Barrett, spoke on Cane's contribution to the team at Friday's captain's run at Sky Stadium.

"Sam's been huge since coming back into the team after going to Japan. He's got a huge amount of respect and mana within the group and he challenges the group when needed," Barrett said.

"He's been great for me to bounce ideas off and challenge me at times as well. He's hugely valuable to this group and this team wants to go out and put out a performance that does him justice on his 100th."

The captain wasn't the only one to mention Cane's willingness to offer brutal truths, as head coach Scott Robertson followed a similar line of thought when asked how the man himself compared to his public perception.

"He's one of those guys you've got to get to know," Robertson said. "I think from afar you've got an opinion but when you've actually seen him, met him in and around the environment... he'll say things that others won't. And I don't say that lightly.

"I mentioned it earlier, he's a bit of a sheriff; he's got it in the holster and he'll 'bang', he'll fire and say 'no, this is how it is' and 'I'm going to call you out' or 'this is the All Blacks standard'.

"His ability to do it week after week in a tough position, he's broken his neck, he's bounced back, he's consistent on the field.

"The leadership part is something that I really respect. He's been great for us in our environment and he's performed, more importantly. It's great that we can give him 100 (caps) off the back of playing well and what he's done over his 10-odd year career."

Robertson was then asked by RugbyPass contributor Gregor Paul if Cane was being judged as an openside flanker while playing and developing his game more in line with the blindside flanker role.

"I haven't thought of it that way but you could say that. He knows his way around the field, he's got a good GPS on him. He turns up in the right positions, you saw him get that hard ball on the ground last week against Aussie; he anticipates the game really well but he reads it and that's what we need around that leadership. That's a big thing I've learned this year."

Along with the theme of Cane being a straight shooter, the former captain's quality of character and reliability on the field were also applauded.

"Sam's a great man. I played schools with him, 20s, and played against him a lot through Super Rugby and with him in this team a lot too," halfback TJ Perenara explained.

"His influence on this team won't be forgotten. He's been an amazing captain for this team and an amazing player, he's someone you can rely on and you know that he's going to show up for you week in, week out.

"Sam's been someone we can always rely on in this environment and that says a lot about him as a man and as a player, that we can always count on him."