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All Blacks coach Ian Foster is confident that new captain Sam Cane will lead the team until the next World Cup in France in 2023.
Although Foster is only hired until the end of 2021, he will clearly hope to convince his bosses at NZ Rugby to extend his tenure until the next world tournament so that he can support open flank Cane as the man who will spearhead the campaign to claim the Cup. Webb Ellis.
Stuff-co-nz Richie McCaw (right) and Kieran Read were inspiring leaders of the All Blacks and were mentors to Sam Cane earlier in his career. Dan Carter (left) was also Cane’s teammate.
On Tuesday night, Cane, 28, was anointed as the successor to Kieran Read after his retirement from New Zealand rugby.
It marks another new page for NZ Rugby as it enters a new chapter in its history; Foster replaced Sir Steve Hansen, who coached the All Blacks for eight years, late last year, while Read went to play in Japan before the Top League was canceled due to Covid-19.
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The plan, Foster acknowledged, was to look at the big picture and hope Cane can survive the next three years and lead the All Blacks in France in 2023.
“It’s part of it,” Foster told The Breakdown on Sky Sport. “The first box you have to check, is he (Cane) the right person for the team right now? We’re pretty sure we have that guy.
“Then you look at all the other images, development and management of growth and succession.
“He checks that box at his age and has the ability, who knows what life throws up. But I would like to think that he raises his hand for several years. “
Foster discussed his captaincy options with coach Grant Fox and forward coach John Plumtree and believed that Cane, who has captained the All Blacks three times in the past, was the right man to take the team into the next era.
“It’s been my instinct for a while,” said Foster. “We have some great leaders on our team.
“It wasn’t about making a decision about a person who could probably do it, but about the right person.
“Sam has the respect of the training shed, he trains hard. He walks the talk. He is a direct shooter, he likes to think a lot about the game and think about where the players are.
“And he wants real clarity. He can annoy you sometimes. He comes and asks many questions, he challenges. I think that is exactly what we want from a captain. “
Veteran padlock Sam Whitelock, who had captained the Crusaders in three consecutive Super Rugby titles in recent seasons, would also have been on the restricted list, but his decision to skip Super Rugby and play in Japan has likely counted in against him.
Foster said he expected other high-ranking players, such as Beauden Barrett, TJ Perenara, Aaron Smith and Whitelock, to support the new boss.
But the money will stop with Cane, though it is unknown if he will lead the All Blacks this year due to Covid-19.
Fake images Chief Captain Sam Cane will lead the All Blacks when rugby gets back on track.
The July test series against Wales and Scotland is expected to be ruled out, and the Rugby Championship is likely to come down to a series between the All Blacks and Australia.
“I am very confident in the quality of the people that we have,” Foster told The Breakdown.
“I’m also really sure that he (Cane) is the type; he’s physically focused, he’s direct in questioning his players and I think that’s the kind of player who can lead the All Blacks for the next three or four years. “
Foster will take comfort in learning that Cane has been captained by two respected leaders in Richie McCaw and Kieran Read during his 68-test run.
A conversation with Cane before the lockdown convinced Foster that he had the right man, and he didn’t hesitate to offer him the coveted role.
“He has been in the leadership group for six years, he understands the magnitude of the captaincy, and while he may have thought he had a chance, I think when he was really asked it was incredibly humiliating for him,” said Foster. he said to The Breakdown.
“It’s not something you ever feel like you have a right to be asked, is it?
“But I know from him, his answer: It wasn’t too emotional, but I could feel that they took him a little.
“He said ‘yes’ pretty quickly. I think he’s going to be an exceptional captain.”
