Wallace Sititi reacts to All Blacks' loose forward injury crisis

Former All Blacks captain Sam Cane has been ruled out of the coming France Test with a head injury sustained against Ireland.

The injury blow comes at a time when the team faces an injury crisis in the loose forwards, with Dalton Papali'i, Ethan Blackadder and Luke Jacobson also unavailable for the rest of the Autumn Nations Series.

Thankfully for Kiwi fans, the back row is one of the country's deepest positions, and even with Super Rugby Pacific MVP Hoskins Sotutu also unavailable due to injury, the team have been able to call in some quality injury reserves.

Hurricanes duo Peter Lakai and Du'Plessis Kirifi are with the team in Paris, and so too is Crusaders No. 8 Christian Lio-Willie.

The three have each excelled at Super Rugby level, but have just one Test appearance off the bench between them - Lakai's recent debut against Japan in Tokyo.

While the trio can step in and bring some fresh energy to the environment, there's no replacing Cane's Test centurion temperament on game day.

"He's a big loss for us this weekend, he holds a lot of respect in our team. He's a strong figure in our team and our country, so to not have him out there is a big loss for us in terms of leadership as well as experience," All Blacks rookie loose forward Wallace Sititi told media at team training on Tuesday.

"It's just something that we're going to have to deal with and we'll do our best to do him justice in his absence."

Cane spent the club season in Japan, where he'll soon return to begin his three-year contract, so the veteran missed Sititi's breakthrough season with the Chiefs, but the 22-year-old says Cane had previously made a strong impression during the previous preseason.

"When I went in for my first preseason with the Chiefs, he's someone that's calm-headed, loves to chat as well so it was really easy getting along with him. He's just somebody you gravitate towards, someone you would follow into war and somebody you would die for.

"he's just a good person first and foremost and his leadership is top-notch."

It's a powerful sentiment for the former captain, who has ended up playing a big role in the All Blacks' 2024 campaign after some pundits suggested it was time to move on given Cane's impending ineligibility for selection.

Sititi says Cane's advice for him in his young international career was "just to enjoy the moment."

"Take a step back and look at the situation for what it is and he's really been driving that for me and keeping my feet on the ground," Sititi said.

With just two games remaining in a titanic 2024 schedule, the All Blacks are building well, but also fighting any late-season fatigue that comes with having played 12 tough Tests since July. Sititi says the environment is built to shoot down any shortcomings in energy.

"I think we're a really tight group, so that helps us. We hold each other accountable, have fun when it's time to have fun, and I think that's important within a quality side and within a high-performance environment.

"We've really grown a lot together, grown tighter relationships so I think that's what's going to hold us accountable going towards these last two games."

With Cane out, there's a fair likelihood of a shift in the loose forward mix to move Sititi to No. 8, with Ardie Savea filling the vacant No. 7 jersey and Samipeni Finau coming in at blindside flanker.

Sititi played No. 8 all season for the Chiefs and certainly has the game to play it at the international level, as he did against Japan in Tokyo. He says there are some key differences between the two positions, but a similar idea around the park.

"I think the obvious core roles between scrums and lineouts, otherwise it's about keeping the game simple. At the end of the day just make sure you carry hard, tackle hard and play the game the right way.

"I think the thing about the loose forwards is you've got to be able to do the tight stuff and then be able to play out wide as well, so as a loose group we've all focused on being able to do both and wherever we're required we'll make sure we do it to the best of our abilities."