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Sam Cane has a good feeling about this third Test of the Tri-Nations competition against Argentina in Sydney on Saturday, and not just because he has his No. 1 lineup around him.
The new boss will lead the All Blacks for the fifth time in 2020 on Saturday at Bankwest Stadium (7.10pm NZT rush hour), having started the previous four tests against the Wallabies: two wins, a draw and that 24-22 loss. . last Saturday in Brisbane.
Cane has played all but 14 of the 320 minutes the All Blacks have scored so far in this impromptu finale to the 2020 season, and he has done so at an extremely high level. He has been one of the most consistent players on his team, through the rough draw first in Wellington, the two explosions in Auckland and Sydney, and then again even in the loss at Suncorp when his team paid the price for their lack of discipline.
But from Brisbane to the first of two consecutive games this week against the Pumas to complete the Tri-Nations, there has been a major adjustment from All Blacks coach Ian Foster, essentially a return to the first lineup that put that margin. record win against the Wallabies at ANZ Stadium.
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Ahead of the traditional Friday Captain’s Run, Cane spoke about the danger of expecting this first-series All Blacks XV to click back into its dominant Sydney mode when they crushed the Wallabies 43-5, and his confidence that this group would not fall. in that. trap.
“We won’t know for sure until we get to game day, but based on the way we train this week, the group has been quite clinical,” he said. “We have been training well, and with that we just have to get it right mentally.
“That basically comes down to attitude and the desire to get out of our line on defense, and it has a lot to do with the pace of work and things like that. You cannot train those things, they are reduced to the mental preparation of the people and to be ready to play “.
Cane said his message to a hardened group this week had been quite simple.
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The All Blacks coach says he is returning to the winning combinations he used earlier last month.
“We have focused on the things we want to improve on, so we are looking to play a fast and paced game and keep working hard on set. I don’t feel like I have to motivate the team as such to play well because they already have an advantage ”.
That advantage, Cane said, dates back to a loss in Brisbane that affected these All Blacks, regardless of the second-row nature of much of the lineup.
“We weren’t too proud of last week’s performance,” added Cane. “We came out of the review with some clear approaches. There are some changes to the wing and some guys have been renewed, but they are also ready for the game. We will go out looking to improve performance a lot, and one we can be proud of.
Cane and utility running back Jordie Barrett (again on the right wing this week) will be the only two All Blacks to have started all five rounds of this intense year-end program. But the jump, for example, still has a big bounce in its stride.
“Fozzie has been really good the last few weeks, asking how I’m doing. I am a bit surprised at how well I have recovered from these test matches. The body feels great, I am enjoying my rugby and I feel like I am playing well, but I still have areas to improve, and I am motivated to do so.
“It helps mentally when you don’t have to carry and struggle with small complaints. I’m participating in full training and improving well, until that continues. “
Cane is also rightly suspicious of an Argentine team that no one is giving much hope to in their first test outing for 2020. While the All Blacks have had a full Super Rugby Aotearoa competition and four Bledisloes to fine tune, the Pumas have had to rely on a long training camp and two hits against Australia A.
“We probably have an advantage over them in that area, but they will be very fresh and they have had 3-4 weeks together training for this game, so they will be well structured and they will know how they want to play. .
“Every time a team has put so much energy into a game, it’s always going to be a dangerous team,” Cane said. “I think it is the first Argentine professional team to represent their country this year, so they will come out with immense pride and we know how passionate they can be. We hope the first 20 minutes are underway. “
When asked what is the hardest thing about the Pumas when their game is buzzing, Cane went out of the box in his answer.
“They can be very physical, but the most difficult thing is their ability to keep the ball alive, their discharge and the good lines they execute. It’s keeping the ball alive and getting behind the win line over and over again that can make them a tough beast to stop.
“We have to override that, get off the line, cut them off, put two men at the tackle and hopefully we won’t see much of that tomorrow.”
