All Blacks captain Sam Cane has leapt to the defence of under-siege coach Ian Foster while not so subtly reminding fans who is playing for their country.
For the first time in a decade, the All Blacks are on the back foot after suffering back to back defeats for the first time since 2011.
And on the back of their World Cup semi-final exit, the All Blacks have dropped to a historic low (third) on the World Rugby rankings after their Tri Nations defeats to the Wallabies and Pumas.
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The results have meant that new coach Ian Foster is under extreme pressure less than year after being appointed to succeed Sir Steve Hansen.
Cane said that the All Blacks understood the pressure that came with pulling on the jersey and added that Foster had been clear in his direction since the 25-15 defeat to Argentina last weekend.
“We understand being in this role comes with a lot of pressure and a lot of public scrutiny. So, it’s not like it’s a shock,” Cane told Sky's The Breakdown.
“He’s given us really clear focusses of what we need to get better at, it doesn’t feel like we’re bogged down and don’t have the answers.”
But that didn't stop Cane from reminding his fans to stay in their lane.
“I think we’ve got amazing fans, but we’ve also got some pretty brutal ones," Cane told The Breakdown.
"With that, you’ve just got to remind yourself that, hey, they might like to think they know a lot about the game of rugby, but really they don’t.
“They may know the game from that they see in the 80 minutes, but they don't see a lot of the stuff that goes on behind the scenes.”
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🎥 IN THE SHEDS | Aaron Smith gives us a rundown of the teams performance against Argentina in Sydney. pic.twitter.com/pB1QXH7Ejb
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Foster isn't the only one to have his role questioned.
Cane, who edged out Crusaders lock Sam Whitelock for the captaincy, has also had his role in the team questioned, with many believing that the balance of the back-row has been thrown out by playing Ardie Savea, whose preferred position is at No.7, at No.8.
“To me, if I am having my leadership questioned in the public, people’s opinions that really matter to me are my teammates and my coaches, who I work with every single day. I’ve got a lot of confidence from them we’re on the right track," he said.
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Cane was arguably the All Blacks' best player throughout the successful Bledisloe Cup series, where he was strong over the ball and colossal in defence. He also scored the All Blacks' crucial fourth try in their 27-7 win at Eden Park to lead his side to a 1-0 series lead before they wrapped up the Cup in Sydney two weeks later.
The 28-year-old said he didn't want to make any excuses for their poor results, but added that the heavy toll in recent weeks should be taken into consideration particularly in light of the extreme uncertainty of 2020.
“For us as a team, it certainly doesn't help if we're spending our time online reading hateful, disrespectful comments," he added.
“We can’t underestimate playing five tests in six weeks. The only time we’ve played so many test matches would be at a World Cup, and we certainly can’t underestimate the toll it takes on some guys being away from home, and we’ve got a lot of young dads.
“These aren’t excuses, they’re just reality.”
“We're trying really hard to improve. We're as disappointed as everyone with the last two weeks. The highs are high in the All Black team, and the lows are low.”
