Cane’s a more than able ABs skipper but lacks charisma

The mind has plenty of time to wander, and hardly a day goes by when I don’t think about Jonah Lomu during this sporting hibernation.

Superstardom didn’t come any bigger, rugby-wise, and when the national sport re-emerges it will look paler and paler in comparison to the days when the big man ran amok.

What a character and through the ups and downs, he had two great World Cups. The man — his rampaging style and life — held us captivated. Oh for another Jonah Lomu now. New Zealand Rugby need him, like the NBA needed Michael Jordan.

And what do we have instead? Sam Cane’s elevation to the All Blacks captaincy is an iconic moment,

a good keen man elevated to a job enhanced by the test greats Tana Umaga, Richie McCaw and Kieran Read for so long.

He is a default option in desperate times, when star power, vitality and charisma have never been so low.

Cane represents a sport which has turned into a system, one obsessed with churning out versatility and dependability, where centrally controlled succession planning was touted as a cure-all but has turned into a sickness. The game has become so divorced from its public that many fans would struggle to know why Cane is valued so highly. I would suggest overlooked All Blacks coaching candidate Scott Robertson is better known.

In the true sense, there is hardly a household name in the All Blacks any more.

Cane is a great footballer, no doubt about it, but not a publicity magnet or guaranteed starting selection even.

Captaincy was once a matter of hot debate, particularly when Taine Randell, Todd Blackadder, Reuben Thorne and Anton Oliver failed to reign supreme about two decades ago.

Those sort of invigorating arguments seem to have gone out of the window but I’m picking Cane might find himself in a very hot seat when tests resume.

Warriors big in New York

Or make that the New York Times. photo of the Warriors arriving in Tamworth as the NRL season prepares to resume sits atop a story about the difficulties all sports face when trying to restart under social distancing and other health guidelines.

An Associated Press story about the Warriors, which nicknamed them the Nomads, has also appeared in publications around the world, including the Washington Post.

AFingers crossed

The Melbourne Storm have struck problems over permission to use an Albury council training venue on the Victoria/NSW border and had to move to a private facility. Odds are the NRL restart will face a serious hurdle or two, despite the optimism.

Crowd control

An interesting aspect for sports returning to empty stadiums will be the lack of influence on referees.

It is accepted refs are influenced by hometown crowd reactions, even if this is hard to gauge.

I also wonder if coaches, the media and public will give referees a break from ruthless assessments in these tough times.