Rotorua Daily Post
  • Rotorua Daily Post home
  • Latest news
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Sport
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Residential property listings
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Rural
  • Sport

Locations

  • Tauranga
  • Te Puke
  • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales

Weather

  • Rotorua
  • Tauranga
  • Whakatāne
  • Tokoroa
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Rotorua Daily Post

Super Rugby: Sam Cane enjoys first taste of roll

By Super Rugby Kris Shannon
Rotorua Daily Post·
1 Apr, 2015 07:13 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Sam Cane

Sam Cane

SAM Cane's outstanding season is set to enter uncharted territory against the Blues at Waikato Stadium on Saturday night.

The openside flanker will be starting a sixth straight game for the first time in his Super Rugby career.

That Cane has not already achieved several such streaks during his five seasons with the Chiefs, is because he was eased into Super Rugby by splitting time with Tanerau Latimer.

Cane began Dave Rennie's tenure in Hamilton by mixing six starts with 12 cameos off the bench. The following campaign saw the balance at nine starts and eight appearances as a sub, while an injury-hit 2014 brought eight starts and two runs with the reserves.

This year, though, with Latimer in Japan, Cane has worn the No7 jersey in six of the Chiefs' first seven matches. His five-game starting streak matches his career-best, set in the middle of the last campaign.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"The good thing about sharing it with Lats was the body was always feeling pretty good - it wasn't until last year, when I started quite a few on the trot, that I realised how much of an impact it had on the body," he laughed.

"But, at the same time, you always wanted to be starting every game, and I've really been enjoying it. [Fellow flanker] Sean Polwart hasn't played a lot but he's pushing me hard at training. The body's feeling good - touch wood - and I just want to keep getting out there and enjoying it."

Cane has been arguably the Chiefs' best player this season and a true mark of consistency in a campaign that has been lacking that quality.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Despite their fluctuating form, the Chiefs sit safely inside the playoff picture and will be confident of earning a sixth victory from eight games on Saturday.

But, as Cane warned, the winless Blues have been better than their record would indicate, losing all six games by 12 points or fewer.

"We're expecting a desperate team and desperate teams can be dangerous," he said.

"Not many teams have put them away, so they're there or thereabouts ... "

Discover more

Rugby: Heavyweights set to do battle for first time this year

16 Apr 05:41 PM

In a sign of his all-round impact, Cane is lying third in the competition for turnovers won and offloads, sharing the team lead in the offload category with Sonny Bill Williams.

"I'm not sure how to sum it up but I'm just happy with how things are going and want to keep improving," Cane said.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Sport

Rotorua Daily Post

'Biggest summer of cricket' shapes up for Bay Oval

25 Jun 07:00 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Small but mighty: Kyro gets set for Tai Mitchell challenge

24 Jun 09:26 PM
Rotorua Daily Post

Three tests, surplus of Twenty20s as Black Caps summer fixtures announced

24 Jun 06:00 PM

Kaibosh gets a clean-energy boost in the fight against food waste

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Sport

'Biggest summer of cricket' shapes up for Bay Oval

'Biggest summer of cricket' shapes up for Bay Oval

25 Jun 07:00 PM

Seven internationals are scheduled for the upcoming season.

Small but mighty: Kyro gets set for Tai Mitchell challenge

Small but mighty: Kyro gets set for Tai Mitchell challenge

24 Jun 09:26 PM
Three tests, surplus of Twenty20s as Black Caps summer fixtures announced

Three tests, surplus of Twenty20s as Black Caps summer fixtures announced

24 Jun 06:00 PM
'Crazy couple of days': Chiefs most represented club in All Blacks squad after losing final

'Crazy couple of days': Chiefs most represented club in All Blacks squad after losing final

24 Jun 06:00 PM
Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style
sponsored

Engage and explore one of the most remote places on Earth in comfort and style

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Rotorua Daily Post e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Rotorua Daily Post
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP