Cane gets captaincy in first test back from broken neck
Flanker Sam Cane will captain the All Blacks in their opening Rugby Championship test against Argentina next week in the absence of Kieran Read and Sam Whitelock, who are being rested.
Cane takes up the captaincy in his first test since he suffered a broken neck in a match against South Africa in October.
He has captained the All Blacks twice before, against Namibia at the 2015 World Cup and against Italy in 2016.
Regular captain Read and his usual understudy Whitelock are among members of the Crusaders team who are being rested after playing in the Super Rugby final.
Three Crusaders players will travel to Argentina: newcomers Braydon Ennor and Sevu Reece and one-cap All Black George Bridge.
Midfielder Sonny Bill Williams will also travel, though he is not expected to play against the Pumas because of a hamstring injury.
■ New South Wales Waratahs first five Bernard Foley will leave Super Rugby to “pursue overseas opportunities” and is expected to sign with a Japanese club.
Foley has previously played in Japan, featuring for the Ricoh Black Rams after the 2015 Rugby World Cup, but he played just one season for the team. Australian media reported yesterday that Foley is set to join Kubota Spears in Japan’s Top League, with a deal yet to be announced by the club. The 29-year-old Foley will leave the Waratahs as their most-capped first five with 119 matches and one of their top 10 overall, since making his Super Rugby debut in 2011 against the Blues.
“It’s not been an easy decision and one that took a great deal of thought, but to be moving on from the Waratahs is certainly a bittersweet feeling,” Foley said on the Waratahs’ website.
Foley is in South Africa with the Wallabies as they prepare for their first Rugby Championship match next Saturday against South Africa in Johannesburg.
“The Waratahs gave me my first opportunity at professional rugby and I’ve grown so much as a player and a person during my time here, playing with some of the game’s greats and making friendships that will last a lifetime,” Foley said.
Meanwhile, Japanese club Kintetsu Liners, a second division side, confirmed they had signed Will Genia and Quade Cooper, who both played Super Rugby with the Melbourne Rebels this season.
Foley is eligible to return to the Wallabies because he has reached the 60-test threshold required for overseas-based Australian players.
Cooper has played 70 tests but was not named in Wallabies coach Michael Cheika’s Rugby Championship squad.
Genia, who has played 100 tests, announced his retirement from international rugby following the World Cup.