A silence, a breath. The man tilts his head, but his gaze remains straight. “I’m going to have to live with this forever. » This is his expulsion during the final, a first in the history of the World Cup, against South Africa on Saturday evening at the Stade de France. A poorly controlled tackle, a shoulder hitting the head of center Jesse Kriel and Sam Cane, the New Zealand captain with 94 international caps is asked to leave the field with a yellow card (29th) which turns into red five minutes later late after video analysis.
The All Blacks, reduced to 14 against 15, were finally beaten to the wire (12-11), letting slip a fourth coronation in ten editions. Present at a press conference alongside his coach Ian Foster, the player does not shy away, however. “It hurts me so much,” he slips. It’s hard to find the words. »
The bitterness is double, marked by guilt first, and remorse second. Because the opportunity was too good to silence his many detractors once and for all. Sam Cane, named captain of the All Blacks by Ian Foster in May 2020 after the withdrawal of Kieran Read, had to turn his back in fact. Embroiled in the trials and errors of a team in decline after its elimination in the semi-final of the 2019 World Cup in Japan by England (19-7), the third row, always supported by the staff and his teammates, suffered the wrath of many observers.
“It wasn’t Sam’s red card that changed the course of the match”
The mistake undoubtedly comes from a somewhat hasty comparison. Same position, same way of playing, same role, same size, same blonde hair: Sam Cane found himself, in the eyes of many, designated as Richie McCaw’s successor. But you can’t replace such a charismatic All Blacks legend (148 caps), twice world champion (2011, 2015), like that. Especially when the results do not follow and the injuries, sometimes serious (spine in 2018 and 2019), multiply. The jeers came from New Zealand, but not only. The Irish 3rd row Peter O’Mahony was not nuanced during the series of tests won in July 2022 by the Clover XV, calling him “Richie McCaw of shit”. Former England international Stuart Barnes felt that Sam Cane was “not good enough to join the Italian XV”.
“If my leadership is called into question in public, the only opinions that really matter are those of my teammates and my coaches, with whom I work every day,” he simply reacted. I am convinced that we are on the right track. As a team, it doesn’t help us to spend our time reading hateful and disrespectful comments. »
The son of farmers from northern New Zealand mainly responded on the field. And at 31, the Chiefs flanker, absent due to injury during the opening match against the Blues (a 27-13 defeat), signed a dazzling performance (21 tackles in particular) during the quarter-final won against the Ireland (28-24) on October 14 at the Stade de France. All that was missing was a title…
“It wasn’t Sam’s red card that changed the course of the match,” said center Rieko Ioane. People at home should be proud of the way Sam led the team. He galvanized the players throughout the tournament. We are proud of him. » A feeling shared by all of his teammates. It remains to be seen what Scott Robertson, who is preparing to succeed Ian Foster, will think.
