Growing calls for All Blacks to axe 'liability' Sam Cane

Calls for Sam Cane to be axed as captain of the All Blacks are growing this weekend following their first-ever loss to Ireland on New Zealand soil.

Andy Farrell's men claimed a 23-12 victory in a Test match that has been dubbed the 'Disaster in Dunedin' by NZ media, after taking advantage of a red card for Angus Ta'avao 30 minutes into the first half.

"They're a quality outfit and they bounced back in a big way tonight," Cane told Sky Sports NZ after the match."They were too good tonight."

The loss has brought further pressure on head coach Ian Foster, but it has also brought renewed calls for his skipper to be dropped.

And the calls aren't just coming from NZ. Writing in the Sunday Times, former England flyhalf Stuart Barnes has called for change, noting that the openside "may be a fine leader of rugby players but he is not good enough to play for the All Blacks".

Even Cane's huge hit on rampaging Irish prop Tadhg Furlong went unnoticed by Barnes, who opined that the 3o-year-old "makes his share of tackles but none of them are destructive", branding the Chiefs man a 'liability'.

Social media wasn't a hell of lot kinder.

South Africa's Mark Keohane wrote: 'Sam Cane is such an uninspiring captain. And not good enough to start.'

"Sam Cane was well below average its time to move on from him," wrote one fan account.

"Sam Cane has never been the best 7 in New Zealand but they've picked him for his captaincy and leadership," wrote another. "Didn't see much of that from him today."

Maybe the greatest ignominy for Cane was being trolled by Ireland back-row Peter O'Mahony, a ubiquitous presence in Dunedin on Saturday. "I didn't think I could love Peter O'Mahony more, and then he takes his gumshield out so that Sam Cane can hear him calling him "a s*** Richie McCaw""

"Giving the job to Ian Foster and his appointment of Sam Cane as captain are crazy. Go get Scott Robertson," complained another.

How justified the criticism directed at Cane is hard to determine; hammering the Chiefs veteran has become something of cliché in New Zealand rugby circles.

What might be his saving grace is that for first time in a very long time, there's not a huge amount of depth in the New Zealand loose forward department.

We'll have to wait until midweek for Foster to decide whether he axes his captain, a move which would direct pressure away from his own rather precarious position as head coach.