Reuben Thorne captained his country in 23 of 50 tests he played. His captaincy win rate was 87 percent, a figure that puts him ahead of some of the most cherished chief custodians of the “jersey”.
Wilson Whineray, Brian Lochore and Graham Mourie - all men who are remembered as pillars of the game for their leadership as much as their skills - have inferior test captaincy records to Thorne, yet ask most rugby fans where they would position Thorne among those mentioned and he’d likely be fourth - a distant fourth. His crime: losing a World Cup semifinal.
Skippering a failed World Cup campaign more often than not is a death knell, not just for continued employment in that role - only the incomparable Richie McCaw has been offered the chance for redemption - but also for legacy. Nobody remembers how many successful transatlantic crossings Captain Ted Smith made, do they - just that he went down with the Titanic.
It feels appropriate to ask Sam Cane, who negotiated the HMS All Blacks through some seriously choppy waters, whether he fears the consequences of losing in France in October.
“Those fears and emotions come on board when
