Cane still abuzz at callup to captaincy
Sam Cane will never forget the day he went to get a haircut during his first World Cup.
The action on his barnet itself was nothing special, just a regulation trim of his thatch, but it was the thoughts buzzing inside his head as he reclined in the hairdresser’s chair that will remain embedded in his memory.
Flanker Cane was ambling down the hallway in the Lensbury Hotel in London when All Blacks coach Steve Hansen motioned him aside for a private chat.
‘‘I was going down to get a haircut . . . Steve was obviously wanting to catch up with me, and said he wanted to have a word,’’ Cane said. ‘‘I thought ‘OK, what’s this about?"’
To be fair it probably wasn’t the greatest shock for Cane to be told he would start at openside flanker against minnow Namibia for the second pool match at London’s Olympic Stadium tomorrow.
With regular captain Richie McCaw expected to be relegated to the reserves because of the short turnaround following the 26-16 win over Argentina on Monday morning, Hansen was tipped to start Cane at No 7.
It was what followed next, though, that made Cane’s heart race. Hansen then told him he would also be captain.
‘‘I was pretty taken aback,’’ Cane said. ‘‘I said ‘really?’ and he said ‘only if you want to be’.’’
It was a done deal: Cane wasn’t going to let this opportunity slip.
Having emerged from the meeting as a newly minted captain of the All Blacks, he marched off to get his hair clipped and the next day it became official.
At 23 years and eight months, Cane will become the fifth youngest man to lead the All Blacks.
There was no shortage of leaders for Hansen to consider for the role: Liam Messam had captained the Chiefs, Keven Mealamu had been in charge of the Blues and Kieran Read had already deputised for McCaw when at test level.
Hansen opted to leave Mealamu and Read on the bench, however, SamCane has been named to captain the All Blacks against Nambia in London and said he was shocked when Steve Hansen asked him if he wanted the job. and Messam, who wants to play for the New Zealand sevens team at the Rio Olympics next year, didn’t fit the plan for grooming the leaders for the future.
Cane, already a member of the All Blacks’ leadership group, got the big tick of approval.
There is plenty to like about Cane, says Hansen. He’s mature, mentally tough, is prepared to speak his mind and, most importantly, is a good player.
Since his debut against Ireland in Christchurch in 2012, Cane has made 25 test appearances, the majority of those off the bench.
‘‘He’s got a good rugby brain, he is happy to voice his opinions and lead by example and lead by voice,’’ Hansen said.
Which brings us to the subject of Cane’s experience as a captain. The history is brief. He has led the Chiefs once, was co-captain of the Reporoa College 1st XV and was in charge of several Bay of Plenty age-group teams.
Hansen admitted he would be lying if he said he believed Cane had leadership potential from the moment he joined the All Blacks.
‘‘I could sit here and say ‘yeah I did’ but that would be bullshit,’’ he said.
‘‘It is an overwhelming place, to come into the All Blacks. Special players sometimes don’t make it. But, sitting back and watching him, he had the mental fortitude to cope with it quickly. He thrived. After a while we thought he was capable of being a leader.’’