All Blacks' coach Ian Foster is hailing the reaction of loose forward Sam Cane after his removal from the role of All Blacks captain in favour of Sam Whitelock.
Cane will return to test rugby on Sunday morning (NZ time), named on the bench for the All Blacks' northern tour opener against USA Eagles in Washington, DC.
After a ruptured pectoral muscle during Super Rugby Aotearoa, Cane is being eased back into the rigours of test rugby, with the All Blacks coaches and selectors taking away the captaincy to allow him to focus on returning to full fitness.
But while some players would struggle to accept the news that they'd lost the All Blacks' captaincy, Cane has been supportive of the decision, saying he wants what's best for the team.
"We've spoken about that a long time ago really," Foster says.
"He's been out for a long time. It's been very clear [that it's] the right decision for him, and the right decision for us.
"He's 100 percent behind that, it gives him time and space to get through and get his own game going."
Since that injury in March, Cane has played less than 60 minutes of competitive rugby, coming in a rare appearance for King Country in the Heartland Championship earlier this month.
And while the All Blacks have hardly missed Cane - with Ardie Savea, Dalton Papalii and Ethan Blackadder all proving to be more than capable in the No. 7 jersey - Foster outlines that the Northern Hemisphere tour will be key in seeing his former skipper return to his best.
"He's come off one hit at Heartland, which he loved and we're very appreciative for that game time, but now it's a matter of getting him into a groove at test level and getting him really confident.
"The next two to three weeks are about seeing just how far we can progress him.
"In the meantime, he's still a big part of our leadership group, he's still contributing at the same sort of level, and I think having the space to get his own game right is the right thing."
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