Sam Cane named New Zealand captain as All Blacks select Kieran Read's successor

New skipper: New Zealand no7 Sam Cane has earned 63 senior international caps to date
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George Flood6 May 2020

Sam Cane has been officially confirmed as the new All Blacks captain.

The experienced Chiefs flanker succeeds Kieran Read, who retired from Test rugby following the 2019 World Cup in Japan.

Cane's appointment as New Zealand skipper comes after 68 caps and just 19 months after he broke his neck in a match against South Africa in Pretoria.

“I just feel very lucky, I suppose, to be able to play rugby first and foremost and to be asked to take on this job and join a pretty special group and special men," said Cane, who has been part of the All Blacks' leadership group for several years.

“Albeit we don’t know when that is. Hopefully it is pretty soon.’’

Explaining the selection of Cane as Read's successor, new head coach Ian Foster said: “We have some great leaders in our team and guys like Brodie Retallick and Sam Whitelock would be great captains, but it was about which person suited it.

"Sam’s got the respect of the training shed. He works hard, he walks the talk, he’s a straight shooter and he likes to think a lot about the game.

"He can annoy you at times, he comes and asks a lot of questions, but he challenges us, and I think that’s exactly what we want out of an All Blacks captain.”

Rugby union's current coronavirus-enforced shutdown makes it uncertain exactly when a new era for New Zealand under Foster - a former long-time assistant to predecessor Steve Hansen chosen for the top job in December - and Cane will begin.

The All Blacks are due to face Wales and Scotland on home soil this summer before contesting the annual Rugby Championship later in the year, though it remains to be seen at this stage if any international rugby will be permitted to take place in 2020.

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