New Zealand rugby captain Sam Cane has apologised and vowed to “make things right” after kicking a young pitch invader.
The All Blacks skipper was involved in the shocking incident on Saturday following the 41-12 victory over Argentina in the Rugby Championship. Following the end, one young fan invaded the pitch.
However, they were soon stopped as Cane kicked the young pitch invader over as he was being chased by stewards at the Estadio Malvinas Argentinas. He then got up and continued to run away. Cane, an 86-cap loose forward, has since apologised for the incident in a statement posted on social media.
He wrote: "Tonight after the game someone ran onto the pitch and I made an error in judgement and played a part in stopping him. I acknowledge this was not my role and it is out of character of me to act in such a way.
"I am really sorry and am disappointed in myself. I am trying my best to contact the individual to apologise and make things right."
He further revealed that he has managed to talk things over with the fan that he knocked over and has managed to smooth things out. "Through the help of many good people, I managed to track down (the fan),” Cane added.
"Had a good catch up with him and his friends and I’m glad that we could leave things in a good place."
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Cane, 31, has been the New Zealand captain since 2020, five years after winning the World Cup. He will be hoping to avoid more contentious incidents as the All Blacks attempt to claim the Rugby Championship.
They currently sit joint-top of the table after the first week alongside South Africa, who beat Australia 43-12 on Saturday. The two sides come together next weekend, before the final round of fixtures towards the end of this month.
New Zealand have won the competition on 19 occasions in the past, including the last two in succession. Australia and South Africa have four titles each, whilst Argentina have never been crowned as champions since their first appearance back in 2009.
Speaking ahead of next weekend’s showdown with South Africa, All Blacks boss Ian Foster said: “A big one – it’s always big, we love playing South Africa,” he said.
“They have taken 10, 11 or 12 players and put them over in Auckland early, so they have clearly got a plan, but our purpose in these first two weeks is to get this group together. There is no better foe to play next week.”
