SAM CANE

He's captain of the All Blacks on a Rugby World Cup odyssey. Do jobs come with greater pressure?

- Alan Dymock

IDE-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 to be there. I was real wide-eyed. It was a whole new experience. But also just a real buzz to be part of. And as I've progressed, now there's certainly a buzz to be part of it but you feel more responsibility, having a leadership role and being captain. I suppose I'm just a lot more focused on driving the team as a whole and more so (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.

"When you're younger, you only know what you know. You make sure you're training hard, eating well, making sure you're doing all the small things with your recovery and playing well. And as you progress through the years, there are a lot more things on your mind. It becomes harder to switch off. Because you're constantly reviewing and evaluating and having a lot of those small conversations behind the scenes. I suppose now you've got to remind yourself to enjoy it a little bit more.