New Zealand forwards coach Jason Ryan has opened up on how highly he rates former All Blacks captain and openside flanker Sam Cane.
Cane retired from international rugby after the All Blacks’ 2024 Autumn Nations Series clash with Italy but is still plying his trade at club level with Japan Rugby League One outfit Suntory Sungoliath.
He had a decorated international career as he retired with 104 Test appearances after making his All Blacks debut against Ireland in 2012, and was part of New Zealand’s triumphant 2015 Rugby World Cup campaign in England.
Despite his impressive stint at international level, the 33-year-old received plenty of criticism during his 12-year career in the Test arena, with his detractors inevitably comparing him with the man he replaced as the All Blacks’ first choice openside flanker, Richie McCaw.
He led the All Blacks during their 2023 Rugby World Cup campaign in France where they suffered a narrow 12-11 defeat against their arch rivals the Springboks in the global showpiece’s final.
Cane was red carded in that clash – after he was initially shown yellow for a dangerous tackle which was then upgraded – and Ryan revealed how he consoled the former All Blacks skipper after that match.
‘I have so much respect for Sam Cane’
“Well, your first person you get around is Sam,” he told The Dom Harvey Podcast. “I’ve said this many times, I have so much respect for Sam Cane.
“I always have, right from when he played Super Rugby and broke his neck playing a Test match (during a Rugby Championship clash with the Springboks in 2018).
“And I got to know his mum and dad really well. And he was feeling it after that game (the 2023 World Cup final).”
Cane was the All Blacks skipper during Ian Foster’s stint as head coach and after that World Cup defeat he headed off to Japan to initially take up a short-term contract with Suntory Sungoliath.
He returned to New Zealand last year and was recalled to the All Blacks squad by Foster’s replacement, Scott Robertson.
Ryan highlighted how Cane put the disappointment of his 2023 World Cup campaign behind him and the positive impact he made in the All Blacks camp upon his return.
“He’s just such a good man. He’s got a great family behind him,” he said.
‘We couldn’t not pick him’
“He’s got a good group of mates. So he’ll get through it, you know, and he did. (He) came back last year and, you know, people probably thought he wasn’t going to be picked or get a crack, and he effectively became the in form seven. We couldn’t not pick him.
“But his value he added off the field and the leadership, and it really helped the leadership group and that sort of thing was really important.
“And it says a lot about his character. You had that bit of resilience in your life. You know, it’s not always roses and everything’s going good.”
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Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/jason-ryan-hails-sam-cane-resilience-and-how-the-all-blacks-couldnt-not-pick-him
