All Blacks: Sam Cane on making it back for his final hurrah - 'I'm stoked'

Sam Cane has revealed after being named in the All Blacks’ Rugby Championship squad that he required back surgery four months ago to fix a nerve problem which was sending pain down one of his legs.

The extent of Cane’s issue hasn’t been made clear until now. Stuck between his Suntory club in Japan and the All Blacks – he trained with the extended squad this month but was officially included under the new Scott Robertson regime for the first time this afternoon – the 95-Test former skipper has flown under the radar.

No longer - and his place among the seven loose forwards in the overall squad of 36 will likely be the subject of much scrutiny ahead of the next four Tests against Argentina (both in New Zealand) and Springboks (both in South Africa) over the next month or so.

The 32-year-old, in his final year with the All Blacks before he takes up a long-term contract in Japan, has already fought back from a major injury – a broken neck – so the recovery from his latest surgery in March probably shouldn’t come as a surprise. It does, however, highlight once again his resilience and determination to wear the black jersey.

“There’s no better environment for demanding excellence,” Cane said today. “You’re motivated and driven consistently by the competition from your teammates. The coaches are driving you constantly to be better. It’s a really uplifting place to live and be each day. I’m looking forward to being around that every day and adding my bit to it.”

Cane trained with the Chiefs at the end of the Super Rugby season and recently played two games for his old club, Tauranga Sports, the club he represented when he left school. The last time he played for them was in 2011.

“I feel pretty ready. I’m still a wee way off Test level, obviously, but I’m going to play a pre-season game for Bay of Plenty versus Taranaki on Friday and keep trying to work on getting better and improving.”

Cane, who broke his neck in a Test against the Springboks in Pretoria in 2018, and was back to play in the World Cup in Japan a year later, was matter of fact about his latest surgery – a microdiscectomy.

“It’s a fairly straightforward surgery but when you’re dealing with nerve pain there’s never any guarantee that nerves fully recover.

“Thanks to Suntory we were able to get into surgery pretty quickly.”

Cane, troubled by back pain at last year’s World Cup – he missed the opening loss against France – arrived back in Auckland on a flight from Japan in March and had surgery on the same day.

He gave an insight into his rehabilitation journey when he said: “I’ve been there and done it before but it doesn’t make it any easier.”

Cane added: “I missed a few games over the years [due to back pain] and it got to the stage when I knew what kicked it off and what to avoid. The surgeon said that by having this surgery this should fix a lot of the issues that I’ve been dealing with. Touch wood, but I can wake up in the morning and bend down and pick up my son without any second thoughts.”

Cane, appointed skipper by previous head coach Ian Foster, said Robertson was honest about his chances of returning to the team.

Cane’s last moments in the black jersey were spent on the Stade de France sideline after being red-carded in the All Blacks’ agonising 12-11 World Cup defeat to the Boks and he carried that burden more than anyone else.

“He said my focus was to get back fit and available and prove I was ready to go. I wasn’t expecting to be named.

“I knew I was in with a shot... In getting named, I’m pretty stoked.

“I’m really excited about the make-up of the Rugby Championship this year. A couple of Tests at home against Argentina and then nothing excites me more than playing South Africa in South Africa. It’s one of the ultimate challenges for an All Black. There are some massive Test matches coming up."

A few things need to go his way, but it's possible Cane will reach a significant milestone this year.

“It will be a special achievement to join those boys who have played 100 Tests. I’d played 50 Tests by the time I was 24 or 25 and the next 45 have taken a heck of a long time. There’s no point counting them or expecting them to come… that last 45 I’ve really had to earn mainly through coming back from injury.”

Cane said once Robertson's choice of captain was announced he contacted Scott Barrett to offer his "full support and backing".

“Scooter has a massive role because not only is he the captain, he also runs the All Black lineout which is a huge responsibility in itself.

“The beauty with Scooter is that he’s a leader who is comfortable with who he is. He’s not going to try to be something he’s not."

As Cane's interview wrapped up, he was eager to send his support on behalf of the All Blacks to New Zealand's Olympic team in Paris. And he had a special message for the New Zealand men's sevens team, knocked out at the quarter-final stage by South Africa on a piece of turf he knows only too well.

“We’re all really gutted for them to come up short in the quarters. Sport is brutal and sevens is about as brutal as it gets.”

If anyone can empathise, it’s Sam Cane.

(age, Super Rugby club, province, Test caps)

* denotes new cap

Forwards (20)

Hookers:

Asafo Aumua (27 / Hurricanes / Wellington / 9)

Codie Taylor (33 / Crusaders / Canterbury / 87)

George Bell (22 / Crusaders / Canterbury / 1)

Props:

Ethan De Groot (26 / Highlanders / Southland / 25)

Tyrel Lomax (28 / Hurricanes / Tasman / 34)

Fletcher Newell (24 / Crusaders / Canterbury / 16)

Pasilio Tosi (26 / Hurricanes / Bay of Plenty / 1)

Ofa Tu’ungafasi (32 / Blues / Northland / 59)

Tamaiti Williams (23 / Crusaders / Canterbury / 8)

Locks:

Scott Barrett (30 / Crusaders / Taranaki / 72) (Captain)

Tupou Vaa’i (24 / Chiefs / Taranaki / 28)

Patrick Tuipulotu (31 / Blues / Auckland / 45)

Sam Darry (24 / Blues / Canterbury / 1)

Loose Forwards:

Ethan Blackadder (29 / Crusaders / Tasman / 11)

Sam Cane (32 / Chiefs / Bay of Plenty / 95)

Samipeni Finau (25 / Chiefs / Waikato / 3)

Luke Jacobson (27 / Chiefs / Waikato / 21)

Dalton Papali’i (26 / Blues / Counties Manukau / 34)

Ardie Savea (30 / Moana Pasifika / Wellington / 84) (Vice Captain)

Wallace Sititi (21 / Chiefs / North Harbour / 1)

Backs (16)

Halfbacks:

Noah Hotham (21 / Crusaders / Tasman / 1)

TJ Perenara (32 / Hurricanes / Wellington / 81)

Cortez Ratima (23 / Chiefs / Waikato / 2)

First-fives:

Beauden Barrett (33 / Blues / Taranaki / 126)

Damian McKenzie (29 / Chiefs / Waikato / 50)

Mid-fielders:

Jordie Barrett (27 / Hurricanes / Taranaki / 60) (Vice Captain)

David Havili (29 / Crusaders / Tasman / 27)

Rieko Ioane (27 / Blues / Auckland / 71)

Anton Lienert-Brown (29 / Chiefs / Waikato / 73)

Billy Proctor (25 / Hurricanes / Wellington / 1)

Outside backs:

Caleb Clarke (25 / Blues / Auckland / 21)

Will Jordan (26 / Crusaders / Tasman / 31)

Ruben Love (23 / Hurricanes / Wellington / 0)*

Stephen Perofeta (27 / Blues / Taranaki / 5)

Sevu Reece (27 / Crusaders / Southland / 26)

Mark Tele’a (27 / Blues / North Harbour/ 11)

Injury cover: Josh Lord (23 / Chiefs / Taranaki / 4)

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