Why Sam Cane got the job as All Blacks captain

AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - SEPTEMBER 14: Sam Cane (L) shakes hands with Richie McCaw (R) following The Rugby Championship match between the New Zealand All Blacks and the South African Springboks at Ede

It wasn't a hard decision for the All Black selectors to make Sam Cane captain for the test against Namibia.

The alternative was Liam Messam, a player with experience and mana, but a player who will be with the Sevens team for most of next year.

Being ready for the future has been a theme in Steve Hansen's coaching tenure but Cane had just about won the vote before that came into consideration.

The 23-year-old is someone whom the All Blacks coaches have considerable faith will push on to become a giant of the game both as a player and captain.

The important to recognise is that the All Blacks don't see playing ability as being detached from leadership ability. In their world, leadership starts with performance and it has been an unspoken belief in the All Blacks that the captain has to be the best player, or at least, the captain has to be driven to prove he's the best player each time he plays.

No one in management held any qualms about either Cane's form or mental fortitude.
Yet, the first part seems to be the one that catches people by surprise and unquestionably it's largely due to the giant shadow cast by Richie McCaw.

The veteran has set the bar outrageously high for opensides, making it a tough business for all other No 7s to win due recognition.

In Cane's case, the problem is confounded by his lack of opportunity.

Watch: What the All Blacks think about Sam Cane

A bad, lazy habit it may be, but the rugby world tends to still view quantity as being synonymous with quality: fail to grasp that players can make a huge impact these days when they come off the bench.

It's not right at all but it's what happens: those who don't regularly play 80 minutes are judged to have not been afforded the opportunity to do so because they are not good enough and that taints any objective assessment of Cane as he has started only 11 times in his 25 test appearances.

All Black coach Steve Hansen applies a different assessment and for him, it's all about contribution and performance and in that regard, whatever game time Cane has had for the All Blacks, he's played superbly.

"He's a good leader," says Hansen. "The most important part of leadership is playing well and he does that good. I don't think he's ever played poorly for the All Blacks and he has got a tricky job in the team following the skipper. Whenever he gets his opportunity, he plays well. He's got a good rugby brain. He's happy to voice his opinion and lead by example."

Quite how well Cane has played this year has maybe been a little overlooked.

He had the campaign of his career for the Chiefs where his clever support lines, link play and breakdown scrambling were supported well by his ball carrying.

Measured across the season, Cane did more than McCaw, played better and had greater impact. It's not, though, that 2015 represented a massive shift in Cane's form.

Watch: Gregor Paul and Patrick McKendry on captain Cane

His impact was more noticeable not so much because he brought a wider range of skills which he applied with more accuracy - although he did - it was due largely to the increased game time he enjoyed and regular selection.

More time on the field allowed Cane to feel more confident and fall into the virtuous circle of his form driving his confidence, his confidence driving his form.

"First and foremost I want to lead by my actions on the field and do that consistently well," said Cane in regard to his likely captaincy style at Olympic Park.

"That's always my focus when I play. Nothing will change in that respect for this game and the more you do that, the more you gain the respect of your peers and the guys that matter."

Cane was told 24 hours before the public were that he would not only be playing, but that he would also be the captain.

He had his finger crossed just to be named in the team - something he never expects given the presence and influence of McCaw.

The news about being the captain he says took him aback a little, but the speed with which he processed it only confirmed to Hansen that the selectors had made the right decision.

Cane shares with McCaw the deadpan trait of being able to stoically underplay things. Whatever maybe be happening beneath the surface is not portrayed above it and that's been a big factor in Cane's elevation.

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. When he first came in he was only a baby and not a lot of people knew a lot about him. He coped with that well. He coped with all the criticism early in his career from the media because they didn't know him. But he never deviated off the gameplan.

"To me that is mental fortitude - to stay on task when everything around you is imploding."

Cane's qualities came quickly to the fore and it would make a great story if Hansen could say he knew the moment he picked the youngster that he was one day going to be an All Black.

"I could sit here and say that I did," said Hansen. "But it would be bullshit. I just thought he was a pretty special player. It's an overwhelming place to come into the All Blacks and special players sometimes don't make it. But sitting back and watching him, he had the mental fortitude to cope with it quickly and he thrived in the environment.

"And after a while we thought he was capable of being a leader so we brought him into the leadership group."

- By Gregor Paul in London