Sam Cane has weighed in on the ongoing coaching appointment saga surrounding the All Blacks and New Zealand Rugby, saying the national side needs "as little off-field distraction as we can" to focus on the upcoming Rugby World Cup.
Cane addressed the issues surrounding the current All Blacks coach appointment process in Hamilton today after being named co-captain of the Chiefs alongside Brad Weber for this season.
Crusaders coach Scott Robertson rocked the New Zealand rugby scene yesterday when he said he knew his All Blacks coaching fate and expected an announcement from NZR "in the next few days".
NZR denied such an announcement was imminent but the claims still had an impact, with sources close to Ian Foster telling 1News the current All Blacks coach was left surprised and also frustrated at how the whole process is being handled as he tries to focus on winning a World Cup.
Despite all the noise, Cane told Stuff he wasn't buying into any of it despite being "to an extent kept in the loop".
"I’m only going to be focusing on this current World Cup and not looking further past it and I don’t really want to get caught up in anything that isn’t involved in directing us to winning a World Cup. I just won’t comment on the rest of that," Cane said.
Cane did have one desire from the NZR drama, though; that it be resolved with the current All Blacks playing group in mind.
“I don’t know if there’s a right or wrong way [but] what gives us the best chance as an All Blacks team of winning the World Cup is having as little off-field distraction as we can so that all the energy can be going into performance and playing," he said.
Cane emphasised that doesn't necessarily mean resolving the matter quickly, though.
“I just think as long as it’s dealt with in a way that’s least disruptive for the current group so that there’s as little off-field distraction as possible.
"Whether that’s before a World Cup or after, that’s not up to me."
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