FEATURE Where does Sam Cane go from here?

If Sam Cane’s time in the black jersey had already come to an end, what legacy would he leave behind?

The 31-year-old debuted for New Zealand in the 2012 Ireland series, alongside the likes of Brodie Retallick, Julian Savea, Aaron Smith and Beauden Barrett.

Those four all played pivotal roles in the All Blacks claiming a World Cup title in 2015 and, at one stage or another, were widely considered the best in their positions in the world.

With Richie McCaw leading the charge as captain and openside flanker for NZ throughout that World Cup cycle, Cane played a considerably more bit-part role than some of his compatriots but was expected to take the reins from McCaw the following season.

The four years following weren’t quite as fortuitous for the All Blacks, thanks in part to the likes of McCaw, Daniel Carter and Ma’a Nonu all retiring following the success in 2015. While Cane was instilled as the side’s first-choice No 7 throughout the period, he (unsurprisingly) struggled to live up to the standards set by the man preceding him and when push came to shove in the 2019 semi-final face-off with England, Cane was dropped to the bench in favour of shifting Scott Barrett  to the blindside flank and Ardie Savea to the openside.

With Ian Foster taking over as coach in 2020, Cane was named captain of the All Blacks and delivered plenty of stirring performances for his nation, but he has also had to content with a number of frustrating injuries over the past four seasons– something which also plagued his career in the earlier years.

By the time the knock-out stages of the World Cup rolled around last month, however, Cane was injury-free and gearing up for a big three weeks with New Zealand.

When push came to shove in the 2019 semi-final face-off with England, Cane was dropped to the bench.

Against Ireland in the quarter-finals, the gritty openside flanker was one of the best players on the park, contributing 22 tackles and two turnovers in a defensive masterclass for the ages. Ireland flanker Peter O’Mahony’s sledge from the prior season, that Cane was just a “shit Richie McCaw”, had come back to bite the Irish with a vengeance.

In a more free flowing match against Argentina the following week, Cane’s defensive prowess was somewhat less crucial than in the quarter-final, with the Al Blacks captain contributing ‘just’ 14 tackles in a strong 65-minute performance.

It was in the grand final that Cane was supposed to really assert his physicality in the tackle and at the breakdown and silence the many naysayers from throughout his career. While Cane had never quite emerged from the long shadow cast by Richie McCaw, he was always a strong performer in black and New Zealand operated far better with Cane wearing the No 7 jersey than any of his rivals over the past eight seasons. But it was time for the All Blacks captain to convert even his harshest critics with World Cup gold within reach.

It wasn’t to be, of course. A red card shortly before halftime ended Cane’s hopes of a fairytale finish and all but ended New Zealand’s chances of a fourth World Cup title.

“Just so much hurt right now,” Cane said when asked to explain his emotions following the match. “It’s actually hard to find words to explain it. It’s so, so hard … Unfortunately it is something I am going to have to live with forever.”

The send-off marked the second time in 12 months that Cane had spent time on the sidelines during a final, with the Chiefs captain also receiving a yellow card against the Crusaders in late June. Like the All Blacks, the Chiefs had gone into that match as favourites and like the All Blacks, the Chiefs came away with nothing to show for it.

Sam Cane isn’t done with New Zealand Rugby just yet, having signed a contract extension late in 2021 which will see him remain on NZ’s shores until 2025. But what does the future look like for the current All Blacks captain?

Cane has a sabbatical option built into his contract for the beginning of 2024 which he would have no doubt been looking to exercise if everything had gone to plan at the World Cup but he might have slight reservations around taking time off from rugby in New Zealand given how things have unfolded in the past month.

The send-off marked the second time in 12 months that Cane had spent time on the sidelines during a final.

The 31-year-old is probably in need of a mental break away from the game but it’s likely Cane will want to get straight back on the horse, so to speak, and try to vanquish the demons of the World Cup final as quickly as possible.

Cane is rumoured to be heading to the Tokyo Sungoliath where he will play alongside the likes of Sean McMahon, Gareth Anscombe, Cheslin Kolbe and Kotao Matushima, but you have to wonder whether he might be better off tackling another pre-season for the Chiefs.

Scott Robertson is set to take over as All Blacks coach next year and there are no guarantees that Cane will be Robertson’s first-choice openside flanker, let alone captain. Ardie Savea (also on sabbatical) and Dalton Papali’i could both be preferred, with the latter a near certainty to make the next World Cup in 2027.

It won’t necessarily be a case of out of sight, out of mind for Cane if he does head to Japan, but it’s unlikely that Robertson will be watching every game played by the Sungoliath next year, whereas he would be tuning in to every single Chiefs fixture as he scours the country for talent.

With 95 Test appearances to his name, Cane is very much in sight of centurion status and the current All Blacks captain won’t want to jeopardise his chances of etching his name into the history books alongside the likes of McCaw, Kieran Read and Sam Whitelock. Perhaps even more importantly, he won’t want his final memories in a black jersey to be watching his undermanned troops fall at the final hurdle to South Africa in a World Cup final.

Make no mistake, Sam Cane has been an excellent All Black – his value on the park was on full display when he delivered another barnstorming performance against a bloodthirsty Ireland side in the World Cup quarter-finals – but it still feels like we haven’t quite seen the best from the man from Reporoa

“I think we’ve all seen the way Sam has contributed to the game, our team behind the scenes,” Foster said last week. “He’s been fantastic, worthy of being captain of the All Blacks, which is a fantastic honour and a privilege and I think he’s carried that magnificently well and I am incredibly proud of him. I am incredibly proud to coach him.”