WIDE-EYED. THAT’S how Sam Cane describes his first Rugby World Cup experience. Considering he got on the field with one minute left to play in the 2015 World Cup final, replacing the great Richie McCaw, it’s no surprise. It would be wide eyes and a slack jaw all round for most of us out there.
Seven times he played for the All Blacks in that victorious tournament run, twice starting. Then in 2019 he played five games, with one of those appearances off the bench – in the match that ultimately decided their fate, against England in the semi-final, when Eddie Jones’s team cut loose.
Today, though, Cane is captain of New Zealand. So how does it feel this time around in France?
“It’s different! I think it does become a little bit more normal over the years. In my first World Cup I was 23 years old, so I was just stoked toso (on myself) as an individual, to make sure we come home with the cup rather than (at previous World Cups) when I was just there to play my part in the team.
