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All the black people Pattern Sam Cane has responded to critics who question his leadership in the wake of last weekend’s shocking loss to Argentina, accusing them of ignoring rugby.
Cane and New Zealand coach Ian Foster have received the most criticism from irate All Black fans for their 25-15 loss to Los Pumas, which followed a 24-22 loss to Australia a week before.
The spunky winger, who became captain of the three-time world champions earlier this year, said he shared his frustration, but the “hateful and disrespectful” comments posted online didn’t help.
“We have incredible fans, but also some pretty brutal ones,” he told New Zealand’s Sky Sports in an interview broadcast Tuesday night.
“You just have to remind yourself that they might like to think they know a lot about rugby, but they really don’t.”
New Zealand rugby fans are notoriously picky about the All Blacks, who have a winning record of nearly 80 percent, but Cane said he paid no attention to critics online.
“If you question my leadership in public, the opinions that really matter to me are my teammates and the coaches I work with every day,” said the 28-year-old.
“I am very confident from them that we are on the right track.”
Cane also defended Foster’s training after some experts called for him to be fired and replaced by Crusaders mentor Scott Robertson following Argentina’s historic first win over the All Blacks.
“He has given us a very clear focus on where we need to improve, so it is not that we are stuck and do not have the answers,” he said.
But Cane admitted that the criticism had hurt the coach, saying, “Foz is only human.”
Cane’s own assessment of Argentina’s defeat echoed the views of many critics, as he admitted that the All Blacks lacked discipline and gave away too many defensive penalties, depriving his bottom line of attacking opportunities.
He also said that the group had a “tunnel vision” about participating in a physical duel with their Argentine counterparts and that players had to work on changing tactics when the initial game day strategy did not work.
“That is the challenge for us as a team and for me as a leader … to recognize what the solution is and then get that message across and hopefully execute it,” he said.
The All Blacks’ last game at the Tri Nations is against Argentina in Newcastle on November 28.
