Rugby-All Blacks captain Cane signs new deal to stay in NZ

All Blacks captain Sam Cane has agreed a new contract that will keep him in New Zealand until the end of the 2025 season, New Zealand Rugby (NZR) said on Tuesday. is as strong as when I started playing, so it was an easy decision for me to extend my contract," the 29-year-old said in an NZR statement.

All Blacks captain Sam Cane has agreed a new contract that will keep him in New Zealand until the end of the 2025 season, New Zealand Rugby (NZR) said on Tuesday. The openside flanker, who has played 77 tests since his debut in 2012, will continue to play for the Waikato Chiefs in Super Rugby and has an option to take a sabbatical in 2024.

"My passion for the game ... is as strong as when I started playing, so it was an easy decision for me to extend my contract," the 29-year-old said in an NZR statement. New Zealand coach Ian Foster, who named Cane as skipper when Kieran Read retired after the 2019 World Cup, said he was "delighted" with the news.

"He's an instrumental part of the All Blacks leadership group in his role as captain," Foster said. "I know that following a year in which he missed a lot of rugby with his significant injury, he is fully committed to being at his very best in 2022 and beyond, which is exciting."

Cane missed the entire Super Rugby campaign and much of the test campaign in 2021 after having surgery on his shoulder and pectoral muscle. Fellow loose forward Ardie Savea, who stood in as captain during this year's Rugby Championship, signed a four-year contract extension last week.

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