Cane starts road to recovery
They are only baby steps but All Blacks star Sam Cane is making giant strides in his recovery from a horror neck injury.
Cane’s place in the All Blacks World Cup squad has been placed in jeopardy following a shocking neck injury suffered in the All Blacks 32-30 victory over the Springboks in Pretoria back on October 7 last year.
Cane, who has played in 60 tests since his All Blacks debut in 2012, required surgery to save him from paralysis, after fracturing in a vertebra on the lower right side of his neck.
But just days out from his 27th birthday, Cane has taken to social media to reveal he is now free from the neck brace, that gripped his neck for around 12 weeks, and has begun jogging.
Cane said he appreciated the messages of support and that he was enjoying getting back into rehabilitation and some light strength and conditioning work.
Cane, who remained in hospital in South Africa to have surgery as the All Blacks returned home, said getting back into training was much needed after ‘‘grazing in a pretty good paddock’’ over the last three months.
Cane, who has been the regular All Blacks No 7 since Richie McCaw’s retirement in 2015, said late last year that he hoped to be back for the final stages of the Chiefs’ 2019 Super Rugby campaign.
At the time of the injury, All Blacks doctor Tony Page said Cane hadn’t suffered any nerve damage – something that could have caused long-term problems – and the Chiefs openside flanker admitted he was lucky to be in a position where he was expected to make a full recovery in time for the World Cup in Japan in September.
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The ground’s use-by date expired a long time ago and the financial burden it has become can’t be tolerated any longer.
The number-crunchers need to see its dire state as a long overdue catalyst for change.
For a sports-mad country, New Zealand’s major stadia are largely embarrassing with Auckland’s showpiece a good candidate for the worst of the lot.
It’s a mish-mash of grandstands lost in a sea of
‘‘For a sports-mad country New Zealand’s major stadia are largely embarrassing.’’
houses. And that’s what the land needs to become, a much-needed housing project.
Sentimentality and a fear of spending have been its pillars of sporting survival. But sentimentality needs to be replaced by practicality.
All Blacks records and memorable moments must make way for a new era.
Auckland missed a golden