Rugby Championship: All Blacks captain Sam Cane speaks after scheduling a ‘blind side’

Sam Cane has reiterated New Zealand’s frustrations at being surprised by the announcement of the Rugby Championship schedule and the All Blacks captain believes that a belated concession from Sanzaar to prevent his team from being quarantined over Christmas is not too much. ask.

Cane is preparing to lead the All Blacks against the Wallabies next week in Wellington for the first time since succeeding Kieran Read as national patron. However, that opening test of the Bledisloe Cup was completely overshadowed by Sanzaar who launched the Rugby Championship draw without New Zealand Rugby’s agreement, and the showdown that has ensued since.

As far as Cane and the All Blacks knew, they would be returning home from Australia at the end of the tournament on the weekend of December 5 to avoid quarantine until Christmas.

“That surprised us a bit,” Cane said of the announcement of the Rugby Championship draw when the All Blacks trained in Hamilton this week. “Our expectation and understanding was that we would come out of quarantine by the 20th or 21st.

“The first reaction was ‘that’s not what I understand, where did this come from?’ I spoke to Fozzie on the phone pretty quickly and he was in the same boat, he said ‘we didn’t see him coming, we are working on that’. He has a fairly calm head. We spoke with the leaders quickly and they confirmed that this is not the plan and that it is not let’s turn around and accept it.

“All you can really do is try to reassure everyone that we will do everything we can to control it and achieve it in areas that ideally suit us.

“We don’t consider it a big question, considering what we’re going to go and do.

“We are a bit baffled by that but we have been assured that New Zealand Rugby and the NZ Rugby Players’ Association are doing their best to work with Australia and South Africa to make some changes and we will find some common ground.

“From the players’ point of view, we are trying very hard not to worry about those things that are out of our control. This is our first week of preparation to play a test match, so that’s where our heads are. “.

Cane’s reaction comes a day after All Blacks coach Ian Foster said he was bitterly disappointed with the Rugby Championship schedule but was hopeful that he could come to a resolution this week.

From New Zealand Rugby’s perspective, the prospect of the quarantine until Christmas seems non-negotiable, leaving Sanzaar with the option of bringing the All Blacks and Wallabies final test forward from the scheduled date of December 12.

“Yeah, we’re not too excited,” Cane said of the Christmas quarantine.

“It’s not our fight to fight. Our thing is to prepare for these two test matches against Australia. To have that certainty after so much uncertainty before now is quite impressive. For the players, that gives us a clear focus of what will come next. a few months wondering what will come next. “