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

Sam Cane of the All Blacks leads the haka during the International Test match between the New Zealand All Blacks and Ireland at Forsyth Barr Stadium on July 09, 2022 in Dunedin, New Zealand. (Photo by Phil Walter/Getty Images)

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.

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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.”

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Ian Foster fronts the media after the loss to Ireland in the second test | All Blacks press conference

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Ian Foster fronts the media after the loss to Ireland in the second test | All Blacks press conference

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.

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

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“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.

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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.

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Comments

6 Comments
S
Shane 1096 days ago

It was written all over the wall last weekend those first tackles that cane missed which lead to irelands first try set the tone for the team,cane was also blown off the park all night,cane should of got taken off not ardie,cane has been a good servant and is a good guy but his time has come as first choice number 7,aswell as fosters position as coach

G
Gray 1097 days ago

It's the other Sam who seems to be the heartbeat of the Team, Whitelock

S
Shane 1096 days ago

Definitely whitelock and ardie savea

B
Boomfah Marshall 1097 days ago

I feel bad for Cane. Ian Foster has put him in a compromised position where he is set up for failure. Sam Cane is a good guy and decent leader. However, his play does not justify him being an automatic selection at 7, especially when you have two superior players at that position, Aride Savea and Dalton Papalii.

S
Shane 1096 days ago

Agreed 💯💯

P
Pn 1097 days ago

As I mentioned on your other article, it was tu'ungafasi who smashed furlong last week, not sam cane. Check the replays

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J
JW 1 hour ago
Can Les Bleus avoid a Black-wash in New Zealand?

-last season was a RWC season, which always means more games

I didn’t look at every (in fact I only looked at NZ lol) body but it actually means less games

(especially the Munster ones)

Yes quite noticeable, and that if Leinster and Toulouse are a mirror, didn’t the Toulousian stars still have higher minutes?

Could Doris’ last longer season have an impact on his injury

Good question, he had 1383 from 19 through till that point. No idea what his injury was but that’s a good amount of minutes again, his replacement had 5 more URC matches following the injury, you could predict 5-600 more minutes on top (another full load). I’d say yes it could and no it probably didn’t lol

looked at the ones that had the highest figures. The numbers in the season before and the one after are usually different.

Yes and it would be very easy to check thanks to that great site (just middle mouse every player). Certainly I noted the ones in Lions are less. Maybe that is planned as they have 5 or so more games yet but could indeed be seasonal. It just too hard to know imo and taking a basic average is enough. I suppose they have 10 more Lions games from the point of that data and if you expect them to share minutes thats 5x1200 added, making a season ending 23 likely totalling 42k minutes, much higher than the previous years.

If players are tired with no gas, get injured and miss half of the next season, that’s not a good input for a game

Yeah totally, that is a holistic season to season picture though, we are talking about a single key tour during a 4 WC cycle.

players from the C team were.. or are injured … so that quite conveniently lowers the bar, while still being unrealistic, as they would not tour anyway

Yes I have brought up that point myself too, it could have been much different, as it’s only “Unrealistic” judging by the example Galthie set in his selections. Who numbers, maybe he had some theoretical/imaginary marker where he said “if I can get enough players to cross this point, I’ll risk selecting my best available to try and win” but because too many became unavailable he decided it wasn’t worth it/couldn’t reach the quality he thought needed to win, so decide to go development instead.

347 Go to comments
T
TT 2 hours ago
Jason Ryan unpacks selection changes and their future impact

AB forward pack solidifying & experimenting nicely. Yes need all combinations, including back ups, tested & solidified asap.


The backline's down the other end of the spectrum, from 9 back ups to wings is all up in the air. Mainly because to many have been given too many chances to prove themselves for too long, ie while NZ other backline riches languish… or move to Japan, eg the 1 thing that has to be stopped, if it can, is NZ's most powerful centre, & exactly what ABs need, move to Japan, ie Peter Umaga-Jensen.


Add backline talent like Fakatava, D.McKenzie (permanently), Josh Jacomb, Tavatavanaw, Q.Tupaea, again Peter Umaga-Jensen, Billy Proctor, AJ Lam, Narawa, Tangitau, Naholo


This is the AB squad & team to win every future test, including the next RWC.


Order in preference /{1st pick}/ [ONJ=Once Not Injured ] / (back up)


1 {De Groot} [ONJ - Williams, Tu’ungafasi] Ollie Norris


2 { Taylor } Taukei’aho [ONJ - Aumua]


3 {Tosi} [ONJ - Lomax ] (Newell )


4,5 Locks {[ONJ - S.Barrett], Holland, Tuipulotu }, ( Vaa’i , Antonio Shalfoon, Isaia Walker-Leawere, [ONJ - Oliver Haig] )


6,7,8 Loose forwards { A.Savea, [ONJ - Lakai, Sititi], Finau, Kirifi } (Christian Lio-Willie, Vaa’i )


9 {Roigard } Ratima (Fakatava)


10 {D.McK} B.Barrett (Josh Jacomb)


12 {Tavatavanawai} Q.Tupaea (Billy Proctor)


13 { Peter Umaga-Jensen} Billy Proctor (AJ Lam)


11, 14 { W.Jordan, Narawa } [ONJ - Tangitau, Naholo] (Reece , C.Clarke)


15 {J.Barrett} B.Barrett (Love)

2 Go to comments
J
JW 2 hours ago
Can Les Bleus avoid a Black-wash in New Zealand?

Common now, I checked, and I have also seen your replies to Graham just now. You know the AB tests rated higher. A ‘Friendly’! You know they go back in history even further, right?


So I can’t believe you are correct when you say it brings in the money. I can understand though playing better nations than those in the 6N but which don’t have a profile (like how Argentina is still a hard rate in NZ even after years of high performance), don’t generate the same interest as Wales etc. You’re also not going to have a SA or a NZ touring every November, and Wallabies are no longer the benchmark.


I mean I wouldn’t doubt that the most obvious revenue factor is a 6N component, not trying to say that it isn’t, just that fans show that it needn’t be. November test should still generate a high amount of revenue. As a topic it is all redundant now as the November tests (and July) are going to have a competitive factor.


Hopefully the quality of nations continue to rise and you can have three blockbuster teams touring every year in the not too distant future. 10 or 11 games might be right around the perfect number for a minimum tier 1 test nation too. I’m sure you’re going to make the rest of your season fit around that (those aren’t 100% things at all).


So although WR have already implemented change, I do still agree with your opinion that things are pretty good as they are. I only see a little improvement needed before France can really step up to All Blacks or Springbok level. You might think that a joke and that you will always look up to these teams but as a nation you really can do/go one better.

347 Go to comments
J
JW 2 hours ago
Can Les Bleus avoid a Black-wash in New Zealand?

It was a reply to both your posts sorry, I mean stuff you replied to NB about only focusing on 6N and hoping that.. narrowness will benefit a WC campaign.


I think WCs are harder to win than that (requires many factors other than being able to play the best winning rugby), and 5 matches that aren’t must win and are broken up is not a good test (especially compared what the All Blacks offered).

I’m fully aware that French International players participation into Top 14, European Cups & 6 Nations will hinder their preparation for a WC.

So I wasn’t saying suggesting that. Your competitions are fine, they just aren’t going to provide everything.


Interesting insight on the last campaign, and again, those components they’re adding are also practical and sensible attempts to improve their chances at a WC. So they question remains, why go to those lengths and throw it all away by not picking a better team to travel to New Zealand?


I’ve suggested in other topics they are really close to making it work, but also the data that’s been presented in this articles shows that even now they could have also made the tour to NZ work.


That is both in the view as presented here by NB and what other players were available, and in the long term planning that you say Galthie has undertaken, in not taking the opportunity to make it work even better (factors like the dates of these tests could have seen finalists available from test 1) for a tour like this.


TBH, I can understand if Galthie made a calculated decision to undervalue the tour. Many have had a bad opinion about the All Blacks ability/level under Foster, and even in test 1 he might have shown such an attitude to be correct still under Razor.

347 Go to comments
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