Former All Black skipper Cane starts against Boks

The man who was sent off in the Rugby World Cup final against the Springboks has been returned to the All Black starting team for Saturday’s Castle Lager Rugby Championship clash with the same opponents in Johannesburg.

Sam Cane was the New Zealand skipper in the global final in Paris last October when he was shown a red card through bunker referral after initially being shown yellow by the English onfield referee Wayne Barnes for an illegal tackle.

This will be the first start for the 32-year-old for the All Blacks since the final, although he did make his first appearance in the team since then when he played off the bench in the resounding bounce back win over the Argentina Pumas at Eden Park in Auckland two weeks ago.

The openside flanker lost the captaincy to Scott Barrett when new All Black coach Scott Robertson replaced Ian Foster. Barrett missed the two games against Argentina, when the Kiwis were captained by Ardie Savea, but is also back in the starting team in what looks like a strengthened All Black unit for the Emirates Airlines Park game. Barrett returns for Sam Darry, who moves to the bench for this game, while the man that Cane replaces on the side of the scrum, Dalton Papali’i, was ruled out with a thumb injury.

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Darry replaces Josh Lord on the bench while Samipeni Finau comes in as the looseforward back-up, otherwise it is the same match day 23 that did duty last time out. Robertson’s selection can be seen as an endorsement of the performance turned in in the 42-10 win over the Los Pumas, with the only changes effectively being made because of injury.

There might have been a change at loosehead as Ethan de Groot announced himself on the international stage with his performance in the All Black No 1 jersey the last time the New Zealanders were here in Johannesburg in 2022, but De Groot was ruled out of traveling due to the injury that prevented him playing at Eden Park. Tamaiti Williams did well in his absence as the All Black scrum demolished their Argentinian opponents.

SIX CHANGES TO RWC FINAL TEAM

The All Black team features six changes and a positional switch to the one that lost by one point in the World Cup final at Stade de France - apart from De Groot’s absence, lock Brodie Retallick is no longer available, with Barrett moving from No 5 to No 4 and Tupou Vaa’i coming in as his lock partner, while Ethan Blackadder is in for Shannon Frizell, who is playing in Japan. Unlike South Africa, New Zealand has a policy of not selecting overseas based players.

Scrumhalf Aaron Smith has retired and has been replaced by TJ Perenara while flyhalf Richie Mo’unga is also playing in Japan, with Damian McKenzie wearing the No 10 jersey. Mark Tele’a is playing off the bench this time so Caleb Clarke can start.

The All Blacks come into this game needing to win both matches to be played over the next two weekends, with the second in Cape Town on 7 September, to stand a realistic chance of retaining their Rugby Championship title, but Robertson says his men are excited about the occasion and are thinking in those terms rather than seeing themselves as being under pressure.

“To play South Africa at Ellis Park is one of the greatest tests you can prepare for, we will embrace the occasion,” said Robertson.

“We have a lot of respect for the Springboks and we are looking forward to what will be an electric atmosphere at the venue.

All Black team: Beauden Barrett, Will Jordan, Rieko Ioane, Jordie Barrett, Caleb Clarke, Damian McKenzie, TJ Perenara, Ardie Savea, Sam Cane, Ethan Blackadder, Tupuo Vaa’i, Scott Barrett (captain), Tyrel Lomax, Codie Taylor, Tamaiti Williams. Replacements: Asafo Aumau, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Fletcher Newell, Sam Darry, Samipeni Finau, Cortez Ratima, Anton Lienert-Brown, Mark Tele’a.