Former All Black captain Sam Cane is ready to potentially finish his All Black career on his terms.
The 95-test veteran has been named on the bench for Saturday night's test against Argentina and said on Thursday that he "always believed" he would make a return to the black jersey.
"I have plenty to offer, with my ability. Through rehab and coming back through surgery ... I'd just try and do the same week of training, then do it better," said Cane, referring to the neck injury he suffered in January that had restricted him to only three games of rugby since.
"I think having been in [this year's All Black environment] from the start ... it's allowed me to get a feel of how I can fit in and where I can contribute from a leadership point of view. Last week and this week I feel a lot more comfortable."
Sam Cane in action against Italy at the Rugby World Cup. Photo: Photosport
Cane's initial inclusion in the wider All Black squad raised a few eyebrows, not only because he has signed to play in Japan from next year on, but also because he was very much seen as a link to the Ian Foster era.
However, he said he was eager to make the most of the situation and not finish his test career on the now-infamous red card in last year's World Cup final loss to the Springboks in Paris.
"I never really thought about it as the last chapter. This one will be pretty sweet knowing how much work's gone on to get back."
Cane will find himself in the unfamiliar spot of being somewhere down the back of the team when they run onto Eden Park to defend their 30-year unbeaten streak. Ardie Savea will captain the side, which was Cane's role for 27 tests.
"There's definitely not as much mental load," he said in regard to not being captain.
"At the same time, I greatly care about the team and how we're going. It's how my mind works, I've sort of been programmed that way for a few years now."
Cane said his time in charge taught him some important lessons about how to deal with a loss, which is exactly the position the All Blacks find themselves in after the Pumas outplayed them at Sky Stadium last Saturday night.
Sam Cane speaks to media. Photo: Andrew Cornaga/www.photosport.nz
"It was tough to watch the boys go down ... ultimately we applied pressure and eased off. We weren't able to stack good moments on good moments.
"You'll look at a loss and say 'oh there's so many things we could improve' but just nailing a couple of big blocks will make the biggest difference. Going out there with a mindset of taking the game to them."
Cane said he was "looking forward" to facing the Pumas for what could be a monumental win at the All Blacks' fortress.
"I'm really enjoying the defensive philosophies [assistant coach] Scott Hansen is bringing ... Argentineans like to run hard so we'll be bringing our own physicality."
All Blacks v Pumas
Kick-off: 7.05pm, Saturday 17 August (NZT)
Eden Park, Auckland
Live blog coverage on RNZ Sport
All Blacks: 1. Tamaiti Williams 2. Codie Taylor 3. Tyrel Lomax 4. Tupou Vaa'i 5. Sam Darry 6. Ethan Blackadder 7. Dalton Papali'i 8. Ardie Savea (c) 9. TJ Perenara 10. Damian McKenzie 11. Caleb Clarke 12. Jordie Barrett 13. Rieko Ioane 14. Will Jordan 15. Beauden Barrett
Bench: 16. Asafo Aumua 17. Ofa Tu'ungafasi 18. Fletcher Newell 19. Josh Lord 20. Sam Cane 21. Cortez Ratima 22. Anton Lienert-Brown 23. Mark Tele'a
Pumas: 1. Thomas Gallo 2. Julian Montoya 3. Lucio Sordoni 4. Marcos Kremer 5. Pedro Rubiolo 6. Pablo Matera 7. Juan Martin Gonzalez 8. Joaquin Oviedo 9. Gonzalo Bertranou 10. Santiago Carreras 11. Matthew Carreras 12. Santiago Chocobares 13. Lucio Cinti 14. Matthias Moroni 15. Juan Cruz Mallia
Bench: 16. Ignacio Ruiz 17. Mayco Vivas 18. Joel Sclavi 19. Franco Molina 20. Tomas Lavanini 21. Lautaro Bazan Velez 22. Thomas Albernoz 23. Bautista Delguy
