All Blacks captain opens up on his concussion fears
All Blacks captain Sam Cane worries about his future health after suffering several head knocks, but he believes New Zealand Rugby is looking after its players.
More former players have joined a class-action lawsuit against England, Wales and World Rugby, which alleges a failure to protect them from the risks caused by concussions.
Those players include exEngland international Steve Thompson, who at 42 has been diagnosed with early-onset dementia and probable chronic traumatic encephalopathy.
Former All Black Neemia Tialata is also part of the legal action.
He now has headaches and mood swings and other symptoms related to the several concussions he suffered during his career.
Cane has also had several concussions and has played with team-mates who have been forced to retire following head injuries or because of persistent concussion symptoms.
He concedes he worries that he’ll suffer a similar fate to Thompson or worse, but he says head injuries are part of the risk of playing a collision sport like rugby and he believes New Zealand Rugby is better than most unions at concussion prevention and treatment.
‘‘Because of some of the knocks
I’ve had it always worries you. But I can speak truly when I say I’ve never felt pressure to play through a head knock. I think we’re particularly well looked after here in New Zealand and even hearing stories from guys in other parts of the world it would seem that New Zealand is leading the way in player welfare, even just with the resting of players etc.’’
Cane said there wasn’t enough information for players in the past to make educated decisions about their head injuries and he’s confident that’s changed, though he concedes the risks of concussion are still omnipresent in rugby, particularly in the professional game.
‘‘There’s always the potential for that [concussion] and it could be just around the corner, it’s just one of the risks we accept playing this game. The way the game has got so physical and so brutal with bigger and stronger athletes, it probably heightens the risk of these things more than in the past.’’
It’s been a strange 2020 for the new skipper, from Covid-19 disruptions to being beaten by Australia, losing to Argentina for the first time, but still managing to win the Bledisloe Cup and Tri-Nations title.
So what were captain Cane’s best and worst moments of 2020?
‘‘Lifting that Bledisloe Cup up in Sydney was pretty sweet, you would have seen my raw emotion just came out, eh. That was certainly a highlight, particularly after the third test to have those two back to back quality performances and to win such a special trophy when we were under the pump, that felt pretty sweet.
‘‘I think the worst thing, and not just for me personally, has been Covid and the effect that it’s had on the country and the world; people being made redundant and in tough spots. Certainly remember during the lockdown and hearing about lots of people being made redundant and their lives changing and feeling like you can’t help. Also feeling lucky that it wasn’t affecting us [Cane and his wife] too much but also feeling guilty that it didn’t affect us, if that makes sense. That was a pretty shitty feeling.’’ – RNZ