Young gun Cane hopes to wreak havoc on Irish again

New Zealand flanker Sam Cane has not had a chance to showcase his talents on the world champions' tour of Europe this month but going on the maxim 'horses for courses' he could well get a run out against the Irish on Sunday. The hosts are painfully aware of how good a player the 21-year-old is after he made his debut in the second-half of the second of their three Test series in New Zealand last year. Cane, who is one of several members of the 2011 Under-20 world championship winning side to have made the giant step up to the senior squad, provided the crucial ball for Dan Carter to break Irish hearts in the dying seconds of that test with a drop goal which saw them edge it 22-19. Although the Irish got desperately close to beating the All Blacks for the first time ever in that match, a week later they were whitewashed 60-0 with Cane scoring two tries. "It was a bit of a blur really. I was told two minutes before the start of the second-half that I would be going on and making my debut as Kieran Read was no good (injured)," he told reporters this week. "It was a bloody cold night I remember that! And then it climaxed with me clearing the ruck and DC dropping the goal and I felt relieved I had delivered the right ball. "The next Test was a special night for me in front of my home crowd in Hamilton. Loose forwards can only play as well as your team lets you and things clicked that day. "If I get my chance on Sunday then I will hope to play to that level again against the Irish." Cane, who had an outstanding 2011 Under-20 world championship scoring a hat-trick of tries in one game, said the tour had given him a different insight into the set-up as he had been named on the elite leadership group along with vastly more experienced players such as captain Richie McCaw and Carter. "It has allowed me to work really closely with the coaches and it has been interesting for me to see behind the scenes," he said. "It hasn't changed the way I've approached the tour but the additional responsibility is something I've enjoyed. "I've learnt off four of the most capped players in All Blacks history." His fellow Under-20 world championship winning teammate Charles Piutau has in contrast started both the Tests on this tour (scoring a try in the 26-19 win over France and then switching wings for the 30-22 victory over England) and he says that the experience has been a huge learning curve for him. "Getting more game time has allowed me to learn all the time," said the 21-year-old, who made his Test debut against France in New Zealand this year. "The welcome given by the senior players has played a huge part in how I've blended into this team. I grew up watching Richie and Dan playing rugby, they were like gods to me. "However, you couldn't meet two more down to earth guys." Piutau said that he hadn't found the transition from fullback to wing a problem and assistant coach Ian Foster said he had fulfilled the role well, though he conceded he was still a work in progress. "He's got a short attention span hence why for the two tests on the tour so far we switched him from the right to the left!" he said. "He's dealt with it well. He's a very level headed young man. He's also done his job off the park as well. "He's pretty good but he has got stuff to work on like the last match showed up things such as his kick and chase. He's a work in progress. "We are only talking about sandpaper, ie small improvements." Source: AFP