Breaking news: What Captain of the All Blacks, Cane, said, before quitting international rugby.
Captain of the All Blacks, Cane, said, “I had my time” before quitting international rugby.
Sam Cane, the captain of the New Zealand rugby union, will leave the team at the end of 2024 to sign a three-year contract with Suntory Goliath in Japan. The flanker, who has captained the All Blacks on 27 times, says he has “had my time as captain” and expects to participate in this summer’s Test matches against England and Fiji as well as the Rugby Championship. He is 32 years old.
At the conclusion of 2024, New Zealand captain Sam Cane revealed he will be leaving the rugby union to relocate permanently to Japan.
With his three-year contract signed with Suntory Goliath in Tokyo, the 32-year-old is no longer available for selection. In between stints with the All Blacks, he has been playing for the Japanese club.
Before leaving the international setup, Cane still aims to contribute to this summer’s Test series between England and Fiji as well as the Rugby Championship. The move was made in front of new head coach Scott Robertson being ready to make his mark on the squad.
The flanker is five games away from a century of All Blacks caps and has captained the team on 27 occasions. He claims that by relocating to Japan, he will be able to spend more time with his small family.
It’s a normal aspect of the rugby game’s progression. Cane stated in a statement, “I had the honor and privilege of serving as captain throughout my tenure there.
“I will remain true to myself even if I have the good fortune to be chosen for the All Blacks this year. I simply want to see the All Blacks succeed because I adore that team, so if my job involves providing leadership on or off the field, I’ll be pleased to do all in my power to assist the new captain and ease the transition for the team.I’m incredibly appreciative of the opportunity I got to don the captain’s armband. It was an enormous honor and privilege, and I learned a lot and developed.”
Cane, who will not captain the All Blacks upon his return to the team, feels that the decision will extend his playing career beyond his 35th birthday in addition to providing him with more family time.
“After discussing this at length with Sam, I fully understand the reasons behind his decision and support him,” stated Robertson.
“Being the captain demands more of you physically and mentally because of the position he plays. So it’s quite an accomplishment to have accomplished what he has over such a lengthy time. I applaud him much for seizing this chance.”
On July 6, the All Blacks welcome England in Dunedin for the first of two Test matches, marking their first encounter since their loss to South Africa in the World Cup final last year.
