There’s something rotten in the state of our rugby

They say the fish rots from the head, but when it comes to New Zealand rugby which fish head are we talking about? Is the stench coming from coach Ian Foster, or from captain Sam Cane or from the leadership of New Zealand Rugby. My money is on all three and the whiff is overwhelming.

Let’s start with poor Cane, because his flaws were most obviously on display on Saturday’s dark night of the soul. It is time to relieve him of the captaincy for his sake, for the team’s sake and for the country’s sake.

The All Blacks desperately needed Cane to lead from the front against Ireland, strolling down main street like his virtual namesake in High Noon, eyes narrowed against the sun, an unflinching man leading a timid town against the invading shooters.

It did not happen. Cane blinked, blinked and blinked again. He was horribly exposed. In the opening stanza Nepo Laulala had just made up for his missed tackle with a turnover, when Wayne Barnes went back and awarded a penalty against Cane for taking out Josh van der Flier off the ball. Ireland kicked to the corner and scored from the lineout.

Poor discipline had got the All Blacks off to the worst start. And so it continued. Cane was pinged for not rolling away and Ireland kicked another three points.

Where was the back row when Ireland strolled over just before halftime with New Zealand horribly short of numbers? The answer is they were all on the other side of the ruck. Ardie Savea had been swept up by the Irish and Cane and Akira Ioane had also stayed left side. Where was the leadership? Why had Cane not moved across?

In the second half Will Jordan’s try has the All Blacks riding the momentum, but their captain then knocks on from the kick off. Ireland go to his side off the scrum and Cane is nowhere to be seen as they sweep up to the line. The captain is then hooked from the pitch. It should be a symbolic moment. Great players make a difference. But as has been evidence with the Chiefs, they got on a roll when Cane wasn’t there.

It has been all too clear how comprehensively the All Blacks have been outcoached in this series. In the second test their kicking game was a shambles. In the third test their lineout and their maul was taken apart.

‘‘We need to fix it,’’ said John Plumtree at halftime. Too late, mate, too late. N ew Zealand’s best active coaches are Scott Robertson, Dave Rennie, Wayne Smith, Leon McDonald, Clayton McMillan and Joe Schmidt. I doubt if Foster would even make the top 20. And it’s not just the tactics that are failing horribly, it’s the culture.

I do not see Māori and Pasifika flourishing under the current regime, as they have flourished in