Scott Robertson has been criticised for being conservative. He hasn’t been.
At the start of a new World Cup cycle, the easy thing to do would have been to say ‘thanks but no thanks’ to Sam Cane when the veteran All Black decided he wouldn’t return to Super Rugby in 2024.
Robertson even had a way out given Cane, who spent the season in Japan at Eddie Jones’ Suntory Sungoliath following his red card send off in the World Cup final last October, hadn’t played in months because of injury.
But the longer the international season has gone, the more obvious it has been that Cane’s importance to the All Blacks runs deeper than any thundering hit or turnover.
Just like when the Aussie cricket team went through a period of change around when the late Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath waved goodbye and a flurry of other greats followed suit in the ensuing year, the All Blacks have bid well to a generation of talent.
The pillars that have held the All Blacks up for a decade are no longer present.
As talented as Tupou Vaa’i, Wallace Sititi and Cortez Ratima are, they are not Sam Whitelock, Brodie Retallick or Aaron Smith. Neither is Asafo Aumua a same-standard replacement Dane Coles yet either.
It’s why Cane’s swansong campaign is vital because he’s a product of the greatest All Blacks team ever and he’s bridging the gap between the old and new during a time of great change.
Let’s not forget it’s not just those four generational players who have gone out the door over the past 12 months but two decades of coaching intellectual property since Ian Foster’s departure, too.
Foster was schooled by Graham Henry, Wayne Smith and Steve Hansen. All four have gone.
Ditto Mike Cron, Mick Byrne and long-serving mental s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁s coach Gilbert Enoka, who joined Michael Maguire and helped the Blues post a stunning 2-1 come-from-behind series win this year over the Maroons.
It’s why Cane’s importance can’t be underestimated- because standards and history aren’t replaced overnight.
“He’s one of those guys you’ve got to get to know,” Robertson said on Thursday after being asked about his role in the side.
“I think from afar you’ve got an opinion. But when you actually see him and meet him and what he is around the environment, he’ll say things that others won’t. I don’t say that lightly. He’s a bit of a sheriff.
“He’s got it in the holster and will go bang and fire and say, ‘No this is how it is. I’m going to call you out’, or ‘this is the All Blacks standard.’
“His ability to do it week after week in a tough position, he’s broken his neck, he’s bounced back, he’s consistent on the field.
“But I think the leadership part for me is something I really respect. He’s been great for us and our environment and he’s performed more importantly.
“It’s great that we can give him 100 off the back of playing well and what he’s done over his 10-odd year career.”
Cane is built for international rugby.
In a game played by warriors, to feature in 100 Tests says plenty about his durability.
But unlike some openside flankers who finish tries spectacularly and are great link players, Cane is old school and does the tough stuff well.
He is rarely bettered in contact and slugs it out on the floor. That’s the stuff that wins games of Test footy.
“He knows his way around the field,” Robertson continued. “He’s got a good GPS on him, he turns up in the right positions.
“You saw him get that hard ball on the ground last week against Aussie. He anticipates the game really well but he reads it and that’s what we need around that leadership.
“That’s a big thing I’ve learned this year for us. Our leaders are in every role that they play and he’s been great for us.”
Fellow Japan-bound All Blacks veteran TJ Perenara, who will start in the No.9 jersey for the last time in a home Test, said his legacy wouldn’t be lost on the side.
“Sam’s a great man,” Perenara said. “I played schools with him, 20s, and played against him a lot through Super Rugby and then with him in this team a lot too.
“His influence on this team won’t be forgotten. He’s been an amazing captain for this team, an amazing player. He’s someone that you can rely on and you know that he’s going to show up for you week in, week out.
“Sam has been someone that we can always rely on in this environment. That says a lot about him as a man and as a player, that we can always count on him.”
Despite holding onto the Bledisloe Cup, Robertson admitted it was vital the All Blacks deliver a performance to be proud of after a dreadful second half in Sydney last week, especially after consecutive defeats in South Africa and another loss to Argentina last month in Wellington – the same venue they will host the Wallabies this weekend.
“It’s really important,” he said. “It’s something we’ve addressed, something we’re really aware of.
“Like the rest of the New Zealand public, It’s a record that we’re not proud of.
“The way you deal with records is by performances so that’s been our main focus this week. Good performance and something that the crowd can be proud of.”
Robertson admitted they had fallen short of their expectations but said they were going through a developmental stage.
“I think part of the All Blacks is winning. You’re winning and develop, you don’t develop and win,” he said.
“Of course it hurts you that you haven’t continued that part of the legacy on.
“We’ve all learnt that we can be better in different areas but we’ve also focused on what we’re doing really well.
“We’ve made a lot of line breaks. Most of any team. We’ve focused on areas that we can get better to finish teams. We’ve had opportunities to win every game and we haven’t.
“There’s some key parts of growing, some players that have come through. We’ve got a lot of fresh faces, I think it’s eight or seven, eight debutants. A lot of guys that are coming on into the game at key times and how we can be better.
“There’s a bit of a story to the whole point of it but we’d love to have the Rugby Championship and the Bledisloe.”
