All Blacks captain Sam Cane is not out for revenge against the Springboks at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Cane got famously sent off by retired referee Wayne Barnes for a high tackle on Springbok centre Jesse Kriel in the first half of their 12-11 World Cup final defeat to South Africa in France last year.
At the time, the loose-forward described his disappointment as follows: “You just can’t grasp the shock you are under – sitting in that chair – just the overwhelming feeling that I’ve let my teammates down when they needed me the most.”
But in an interview earlier this week, Cane says if he gets a chance to play against the Boks in the Rugby Championship, it won’t be to conquer personal demons.
He explains: “To be honest, not really. It’s always been a team that I have loved playing [against]. They have always prided themselves on being physical. If I get the chance [to play] I’ll just be looking forward to it, but there will be nothing personal about it.”