Openside flanker Cane, 23, has been given the armband for the first time, with regular captain Richie McCaw starting the game on the bench for the Rugby World Cup Pool C clash.
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Asked to explain specifically what sort of mental fortitude Cane has shown in his time as an All Blacks, Hansen said: “His ability to cope with the pressure that comes with being an All Black”.
Cane is New Zealand’s 67th Test captain and the fifth-youngest.
“I was thinking it would be great to get a start so it took me back a little bit when Steve told me I’d be captain”, he said. “Making your debut for the All Blacks is a massive honour but to lead your country out stands above that; hugely honoured and quite excited”.
“I made a mistake and I was keen to make up for it after that”. Josh Kronfeld, the great flanker but less great soothsayer, famously said of McCaw’s All Black bow following a handful of provincial matches, “You might as well just give All Black jerseys to everybody”.
Only three players survived from the All Blacks opening 26-16 win against Argentina – wings Julian Savea and Nehe Milner-Skudder along with lock Sam Whitelock – for the Pool C match at London’s Olympic Stadium on Thursday. In fact the replacements have more caps for the starting 15.
In the immediate aftermath of New Zealand’s victory over Argentina on Sunday, coach Steve Hansen was quick to point to the fact that it was his side’s first game in five weeks.
The decision itself implied that Cane was being lined up as a future skipper, and Hansen merely confirmed that when revealing the team. “We will use the quality of the people we have in the squad to train against, which I think is one of the big advantages of what we’ve got”.
“But he leads by example and he’s not afraid to voice his opinion”.
“We thought we’d look to the future”. It’s not their time to step-up.
The lowest-ranked side in the tournament, boasting a dentist, some farmers and a diamond trader in their squad, they have impressed coach and former Wales worldwide Phil Davies who hopes his players can enjoy the moment.
The only player not to get a run is Waisake Naholo who was always scheduled to join the playing line up in their third game against Georgia after recovering from a leg fracture.
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Codie Taylor, Luke Romano, Liam Messam, Tawera Kerr-Barlow and Malakai Fekitoa are set to make their first World Cup appearances.
