Sir John Kirwan offers theory for All Blacks back-row ‘change’ as he predicts Sam Cane’s successor
All Blacks head coach Scott Robertson and captain Sam Cane in 2024. (James Foy / Speed Media AU / Iconsportswire)
Sir John Kirwan believes that Dalton Papali’i is the perfect replacement for Sam Cane as the All Blacks great weighed up Scott Robertson’s selection dilemma.
The New Zealand head coach has decided to take the former captain on their tour to the northern hemisphere, despite the 32-year-old retiring from international rugby at the end of the year.
After injury hampered Cane at the start of the 2024 Test campaign, the ex-skipper has once again become a key part of the side.
He started their final four Rugby Championship encounters and earned his 100th cap in their 33-13 triumph over the Wallabies.
The next All Blacks seven
However, some, including Kirwan, believe that Robertson should start looking for Cane’s long-term heir ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
And although the 59-year-old does not disagree about the call to take the openside to Japan and Europe, he wants to see his game-time limited.
Papali’i, the ex-wing reckons, is the most natural replacement for Cane, but there are several options who can play in the number seven jersey, such as Ethan Blackadder, Luke Jacobson and Ardie Savea.
Kirwan has a theory that the New Zealand centurion is operating more like a blindside nowadays and that Papali’i is also playing in a similar fashion.
“I believe as a group of loose forwards, New Zealand has changed. Sam Cane is playing at seven but he’s playing a lot like a six,” he said on The Breakdown.
“That frees Ardie up and then, with what we do at six, that person has to work pretty hard, but [Wallace] Sititi has brought that combination of working hard and carrying the ball.
“The seven is not a traditional seven anymore.
“I think Sam Cane’s leadership, which he has proven over the Rugby Championship, is worthwhile taking and possibly playing him against Ireland – that’s the toughest one.
“I still think that we’ve got to start blooding for the future, which for me the way Dalton is playing, he’s sort of moulding himself on Sam.”
Papali’i conundrum
Should Robertson indeed decide to look towards the next World Cup during the upcoming tour and pick Papali’i, that may not be the most popular decision either.
The Blues back-rower enjoyed an outstanding Super Rugby Pacific campaign and started four of the All Blacks’ first five matches in 2024, but he ultimately struggled to take his club form into the international arena.
He has subsequently not been seen at Test level since, although he turned out – and impressed – for Counties Manukau in the NPC at the weekend.
Kirwan’s fellow New Zealand great, Jeff Wilson, felt that he looked sharper in their triumph on Saturday and that he could be returning to somewhere near his best.
“I will come to Dalton’s defence a little bit. He had a huge Super Rugby campaign in terms of looking a little bit jaded by the time he came to the end of that. All of a sudden, he’s gone into the expectations of being in and around the All Blacks,” Wilson said.
“[At the weekend], he came off the bench and looked as though he had got a little bit of his pep back. The reality is that they’re dominating at NPC level, but I think it’s absolutely critical that we have guys like him who know what it takes, who have come off the bench in big games – we need his experience.
“I think this is a really critical end-of-year tour.”
