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Sam Cane is feeling the pressure this week and the All Blacks captain is pretty sure that’s a good thing.
When Cane spoke to the media just before the roughly two-hour bus ride from Sydney to Newcastle at Captain’s Run on Friday, there was a definite advantage there as he set the stage for Saturday’s test against Argentina at McDonald Jones Stadium.
He, his team and his coach are on the brink of a pretty ugly story if they don’t stop this two-round losing streak they’ve found themselves in as the Tri-Nations comes to an end.
The All Blacks haven’t lost three on the rebound since 1998 when John Hart and Taine Randell led a team that lost five in a row against the Wallabies and South Africa.
The loss would also result in a comeback of just two test wins out of six in 2020, which is a mark no All Blacks patron wants alongside their name. Cane, who has played excellently throughout it all, would probably box, although possibly without the (c) next to his name. But your coach might not be so lucky.
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* All Blacks vs Argentina: Sam Whitelock challenges his teammates to ‘take the pressure’
* All Blacks vs Argentina: New Zealanders hope Maradona factor will drive Pumas
* All Blacks vs Argentina: Ian Foster backs the breakers to meet at the end of the season
Asked by Things If there was a theme for this final week of the All Blacks test year to lower the curtain on this most troublesome season, Cane thought long and hard before responding.
“One, to accept the pressure we are under as a team, but to use that in a positive way to push us forward,” he finally responded. “And we are really motivated to get a performance that we are proud of. The last two games the feeling was just awful. There would be nothing worse than feeling that again leading to a summer.
“It drives us to try to put in a performance that we are proud of and do well.”
Ian Foster is clearly sorry and has left his defeated side of Parramatta as intact as he dared. The bottom line, so ineffective and devoid of ideas at Bankwest, is back unchanged; while the three changes in the pack include the restoration of Nepo Laulala, senior hard-headed. Lock Scott Barrett and forward Akira Ioane are also called in to provide an injection of energy and intent.
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There has been an added advantage this week as New Zealand prepares to avenge their historic loss to Los Pumas a fortnight ago.
Cane said pressure was something he had learned to live with a long time ago in this business.
“You always feel the pressure to act as individuals and now, as the captain, you feel the pressure of the team’s performance. It would be weird if there was no pressure because it has always been like that, ”he said.
“My head is in a pretty good place. As with the team, I am very focused on what we can control, trying to get a good performance and blocking out any outside noise. “
Naturally, after back-to-back defeats, the mood at the All Blacks had been one of “bad humor”, with fifteen days to calm their failures so badly exposed by the passionate Pumas in that historic 25-15 victory.
“The guys in the leadership group have made sure that things are going well and they have not accepted anything that is not. Today we are going to Newcastle by bus, and we are going there to do a job and come out with a result. “
But it’s not just about urgency and intention and the like. Cane made it clear. Tactical adjustments have been a big part of planning for the past fortnight.
Yes, he wants “more passion” against “one of the most passionate teams in world rugby in its day.” But it demands more.
“Also be physical, clinical and intelligent. That’s All Blacks rugby at its best, so I hope we can get it out there.
“There will be some changes. The fact that their defense has been so good and they support it is a challenge for our attack. The real challenge is seeing where the space is and exploiting it, and we didn’t do too well last time. And the discipline will be enormous. We don’t want to be playing with our end.
“So yeah, discipline, see the space and have the skills to execute it and get there.”
Brendon Thorne / Getty Images
All Blacks captain Sam Cane has received a heavy hand in his first year as captain.
Easy.
Hopefully the All Blacks will deliver on the redemptive display that everyone expects of them, as it would be a shame if Cane was removed from the captaincy so soon.
He really is a guy who tells it like it is, as he made clear when asked if he was surprised by the backlash over his comments on Sky, where he mentioned that some “brutal” fans of the All Blacks didn’t know as much about the game. as They thought.
“I was quite happy with the whole interview,” he said. “If you see the entire interview, it helps to put everything in context. I’ve always spoken my mind and been reasonably honest, and I hope most people appreciate it.
“It would be easy to always do these interviews and just play a pretty straight bat and give generic answers, but I guess being honest from time to time can create some headlines.”
Winning fixes everything. Cane knows this, and that is why he is so desperate to sign one on Saturday night.
